Pacific Heights
Biography Pacific Heights
Devin Abrams
New Zealand producer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Devin Abrams is undoubtedly one of the country's most accomplished musical talents. Abrams has had a 20 year career marked by numerous hits and accolades, firstly as a founding member of Shapeshifter, under his longtime solo guise Pacific Heights and more recently as a producer. Abrams has evolved from being one of Aotearoa's most proficient musicians to a sought after producer and collaborator both in his homeland and offshore. Abrams' dexterity and ability as a collaborator and producer has grown exponentially over time, making him one of the most sought-after musical accomplices in Aotearoa and abroad.
Most recently he has produced the upcoming solo EP from Fat Freddy’s Drop’s Dallas Tamaira and the new album from Aotearoa icon Stan Walker. Abrams was also an integral part of the development and rise of Drax Project – the first act he produced outside of his work with Shapeshifter and as Pacific Heights. Abrams' would co-write and produce their Top 40 triple platinum hit 'Woke Up Late', which would break in Australia and America with a guest feature from US actor and musician Hailee Steinfeld. He would also produce their hit, 'Catching Feelings' featuring Six60, as well as a number of other tracks from the group's best-selling debut album and prior EP.
Pacific Heights has been a longstanding avenue for Abrams' solo musical exploration. Deeply personal but never too precious on its parameters, it began as a solo avenue for work outside of his time with Shapeshifter, of which he was a founding member and principal songwriter, producer and performer for 15 years. He released his first full-length as Pacific Heights in 2003, Frozen Fears, a deep and beguiling slice of atmospheric electronic music. Five years later he would then change things up on In a Quiet Storm, which integrated hip hop, soul and funk into his repertoire. Following his departure from Shapeshifter in 2015, Pacific Heights returned with the deeply cathartic The Stillness, which would go on to win 'Best Electronic Album' at the New Zealand Music Awards and be a finalist for the Taite Prize and APRA Silver Scroll. Then, indicative of the gains he had made as an artist and composer, his fourth album A Lost Light, in 2018, was a critically acclaimed conceptual work based on a vivid ocean based dream. It was intriguing and captivating work, one which highlighted Abrams' ability to create sonically rich worlds, ones which envelop listeners into their folds.
