Urban Disturbance


Urban Disturbance were ahead of their time, both in their beat-making and their skills as rhymers. It only helped them up to a point, since homegrown rap groups were still seen as a novelty in the early 90s, but they left behind a run of EPs and an album that raised the bar for local hip hop.

The story of the group starts with two 12-year-old boys at summer camp (Camp Olympia). The first of them, Rob Salmon, was playing a new cassette he’d bought, Paid In Full by Eric B and Rakim, to the other kids in his cabin when he heard a knock at the door.

Urban Disturbance - Impressions (1994)
Urban Disturbance (Zane Lowe, Rob Salmon and Oli Green) with Matty J at the 1994 NZ Music Awards.
Leaders of Style - back: Oli Green and Rob Salmon, front: Zane Lowe
Photo credit: Kane Massey
Critical Beatdown.
Urban Disturbance, 37° Lattitude (1994)
Oli and Zane on the mic in Sydney.
Photo credit: Rob Salmon collection
Urban Disturbance in a Deepgrooves promo photo for Festival Records. L to R: Oli Green, Zane Lowe, Rob Salmon.
Photo credit: Publicity photo
Urban Disturbance in an early promotional shot. From Left: Oli Green, Zane Lowe, Rob Salmon.
Photo credit: Simon Grigg collection
Rob Salmon on the decks in Sydney.
Photo credit: Rob Salmon collection
Urban Disturbance - No Flint No Flame (1992)
Oli Green from Urban Disturbance quoted in the Dom Post.
Urban Disturbance, from Left: Oli Green, Rob Salmon, Zane Lowe.
Photo credit: Simon Grigg collection
Urban Disturbance: Rob Salmon, Oli Green, Zane Lowe.
Photo credit: Publicity photo
Urban Disturbance in Pavement magazine.
Urban Disturbance.
Photo credit: Publicity photo
Deepgrooves party at Auckland's De Brett's Hotel, 1992
Labels:

Deepgrooves

Trivia:

Zane Lowe's father is Derek Lowe, one of the original Radio Hauraki pirates.

Members:

Zane Lowe - MC

Oli Green - MC

Rob Salmon - DJ

Funded by

Partners with