Pavement December 1999

Following on from his drum and bass styled debut, The Nomad (aka Daimon Schwalger) returns on the downbeat tip with Second Selection and its full of funky flavours and dubwise vibes. Very nice it is too. My personal fave is Look Around, my tune of the moment. In fact, I'd have to say this is my pick for album of the summer. Its a record that will make you smile every time you play it. What more could you ask for?

Tearaway Magazine - October 1999

The Nomad produces 100 percent original kiwi drum and bass. The new album Second Selection is out now. It took him a year to produce in his own homemade studio set-up, sampling local musicians and freestylers from his hometown of Christchurch.

Among others featured on the disc are Farda P from Rockers Hi Fi, Salmonella Dub and newcomer Lotus, whose sultry vocal track dominates the first single Where are you?, also available on limited 12-inch vinyl.

The Nomad (aka Daimon Schwalger) said, "I think drum and bass might be coming to a turn-around point. People want to go out to parties that have a really nice vibe more than a fashion victim thing.

"House and techno have become the commercial pop of the 90s everything from Fatboy Slim to TrueBliss. Drum and Bass is more about the music than the image. There are bio pictures of me all over the cover with a big cheesy smile and all that. Its more like check out my music."

You can catch the Nomad touring the country with his live DJ party throughout October. Keep your ears peeled for details.

Real Groove October 1999

Surprise of the month is the second album from South Island sensation The Nomad. His first was a vivacious but underwhelming selection of old-fashioned jungle and his live reputation rests on his drum and bass maneuvers. Second Selection (Festival), however, almost entirely foregoes Drum and bass for a slow groove feast incorporating trip hop elements with dub and whatever else fits the format. Its an entirely international blend, where floor-shaking bass meets Tijuana brass, looped guitar melodies run against film orchestral samples and Tricky-style hip hop narration contrasts with sexy Orbital-style stuttered female vocals. And if you want to hear fellow Christchurch compatriots Salmonella Dub at their best (unlike their disappointing recent album), go no further than the Salmonella traces found on this stunning album.

Sunday Star Times 19 September 1999

Christchurch-based DJ The Nomad has a reputation for tearing it up on the dance-floor, and those who have witnessed his recent sets attest to a shift away from the hard drum n bass stylings to a more dub-based fusion format, somehow reflecting the work of the compatriot outfit Salmonella Dub.

His second album is an accomplished, bass-heavy offering which will have the late-night groovers happy that, at last, someone in New Zealand has come up with a downbeat rhythmic concoction for a long nights of home infusion. Its a blend where floor-shaking bass meets Tijuana Brass.

Evening Post 14 October 1999

Southern dub courtesy of former Christchurch based The Nomad (real name Daimon Schwalger). Following his nomadic tendencies, Schwalger is now based in Wellington and is a major gain for the Capital. Second Selection is his second album and is an outstanding collection of drum and bassy grooves. It utilises some great guitar and brass riffing and a range of guest vocalists to create beats of cool, late-night vintage. Included are the talents of Farda P from Rockers HI Fi, and indigenous vocalists Charmed 1, Ants Man and Lotus Hartley. Theres also The Nomads mix of Salmonella Dubs Version For The Love Of It. Think mellow and be happy and grateful. Very good.

Four Star Rating

Capital Times 13 October 1999

In town to promote his second album, "Second Selection" (sequel to last years "Movement") Christchurchs the Nomad brought with him a veritable travelling circus to the Lava Lounge on Saturday night. The diverse entertainers, all of them long-time friends and collaborators, consisted of Dunedins Downtown Brown spinning rare groove and funky trip-hop; MC Antsman, providing the most laid-back lyrical style; Lotus chiming in with ethereal vocals; Choice One and finally Daimon on hip-hop, dub and ruff-neck jungle DJ duties rounding up the show. This was a night of "100% homegrown" done purely, as Salmonella Dub say in their Nomad remixed recent hit "For The Love Of It". The great thing about this gig was even thought the crowd was on the smallish side this actually helped, creating an intimacy which is absent from larger occasions. The Nomads live music, the focal point of the night, sampling the best "Selections", has taken a step away from the drum and bass which epitomised "Movement", towards a more indigenous dub/reggae/trip-hop which, along with Salmonella Dub, Darktower, Cloudboy/Mink and Pitchblack is fat assuming a unique down-under flavour-moody and introspective, yet at the same time, up-for-it and when it wants to be, downright melodic and catchy. The anticipated four turntable showdown between the representing DJ entourage did not disappoint either- these guys know each others style so well that cuts, scratches and beat-matches bounce from side to side in a spontaneous, upright yet smooth style. New Zealands live electronica scene will continue to expand as more DJs and musicians discover the joys and challenges of production and this gig, which brought together a plethora of media available to cutting edge dance music performance- vinyl, DAT, the microphone, effects units etc served as a reminder of the various possibilities to be explored within the genre. And it got the d-floor moving, too. Proof of what MC Antsman says: Homegrown is always best right?" Right.

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