06/10/2026
New Zealand house duo Groundhog make their debut on TSHA’s Jackfruit label with ‘Stay Out / As Soon As Possible’.
'Stay Out' opens the release with a steamy, late-night energy. Bumping kicks and dusty percussion set the groove in motion, while subtle vocal touches and weighty low end give the track its physical pull. ‘As Soon As Possible’ centres on a poised, descending bassline, tumbling down the scales beneath clipped vocals and breakbeat-led breakdowns. The track oozes swaggering cool – understated, but with plenty of bite.
From bedroom beginnings in 2019 to becoming one of the most exciting house duos in their local scene, Henry Garfitt and Jack Graf have been on a sharp rise. With releases on Apparel Music, Red Snapper and Dance All Night Records, they’ve played accross New Zealand and racked up serious streaming numbers.
Q: Please introduce yourself
Kia Ora! We are Groundhog, a duo based in New Zealand. We have been DJing and producing music for just over 8 years now, blending deep house, Disco, and a bit of everything in between.
We are very happy to be here on Toka Musik! Thank you for having us.
Q: One person you'd dream to have a coffee with?
Henry: Fatboy Slim. I love his character and personality, which makes me think he would be such a laugh to sit down and chat to. Plus, his history and background; there would be so much to pick his brain about.
Jack: Thomas Bangalter of Daft Punk. He is my biggest musical inspiration, and I would love to pick his brain on his production process and the French club scene of the 90s.
Q: If you could have any superpower, what would it be and why?
Henry: It would have to be the ability to communicate with animals; it would be such a cool opportunity to talk to dogs and see what they are really thinking. Also, being able to hear what all the other animals are talking about as you walk by.
Jack: Probably flying, so I wont have to spend money on petrol.
Q: If you would have been given the chance to do a film score, what movie would you choose and why?
Henry: I would love to score something like Dazed and Confused. Such a great feel-good film with some top song choices throughout.
Jack: The Terminator (the first one) would be my pick. It's a perfect blend of sci-fi and thriller that lends itself to so many fun sound cues, sound design ideas and motifs.
Q: Who has been the most influential in your music career? And why?
Henry: My dad had a vinyl collection that I wouldn’t truly appreciate until later in life, when he gave it to me to hold on to. He had singles like Inner City Life, Jamiroquai, Grace Jones, and Soul 2 Soul, which I think influenced me. My mum was heavily into northern soul and disco growing up, so I was constantly listening to my mum's playlists. We both recently went to Chaka Khan in Auckland, which was fantastic. I think my parents had a great impact without me realising, because that was the norm for me growing up in the UK and then moving to New Zealand.
We have influenced each other throughout our journey, both bringing experience in different fields. Jack has a degree in music and guides and gives advice on specific things, while Henry has a passion for making music, is self-taught, and knows what sounds good. We can challenge each other, share ideas, and we've created stuff we never would have made alone. We both always push each other to work hard, and our passion bounces off one another when we're in the studio together. When we're playing live shows, one of us can set the vibe, then the next minute the other wants to change it up, keeping us on our toes and constantly evolving for the better. It's nice working with someone who supports you, respects you, and shares your mindset as an artist.
Q: Tell us about your journey, what got you to where you are today?
In university, we listened to a lot of Daft Punk, and we searched through SoundCloud to find house artists to listen to. From there, we started making playlists, and then we wanted to start DJing. Jack and I had met through a house party at Henry’s house. We bonded over similar taste in music, and we would come together and DJ for hours in our rooms. At the time, trap and dubstep were huge in New Zealand, so there wasn’t really a place for house artists in Hamilton, and we ended up throwing our own parties.
As we kept playing house music, we started forming connections with more house heads around the country. When Henry moved back to his hometown of Mount Maunganui, he connected with the house scene there and realised there was a big community. Then we started playing shows there at the legendary bar Astrolabe and got a residency at another legendary bar in town called Miss Gees. We played a few summer seasons around the club spots.
We then started hosting our own events under our brand and brought in DJs from other parts of New Zealand. We love the community and supporting it here because New Zealand is a small place, and we know it is hard to break into the industry. We both feel like we have been doing this for a while, but at the same time we feel like we're only just getting started.
Q: What’s one piece of advice you’d give to someone just starting out their career in music?
Henry: Be yourself and don’t be afraid to be yourself. Once you start, surround yourself with like-minded people and find your community. There are bound to be people who like what you're doing, and you can learn from one another. You don’t have to do this solo.
Jack: Don’t be a dick. Be personable with everyone and go the extra mile for the community, cause word gets around if you aren’t a good person to be around.
Q: Can you recall a DJ set or performance of yours that remains unforgettable to you? Where did it take place, and what makes it stand out among all others?
Jack: I'd say our first Elektrophoria festival back in 2020. It was the first really big gig we played, and it mattered because it was a locally run, locally produced one-day festival. We had a mid-afternoon time slot and got to watch the crowd fill out and grow over our set. It solidified that this was what we wanted to do and became more than just a hobby.
Henry: I would say the first residency slot at Miss Gees, a house bar/club in Tauranga that is no longer running. We were offered a Friday night slot, and I remember being nervous the first night because I wanted it to go well. We had some great nights at that bar, and it will always be a special place to me.
Q: How has your music style evolved over the years?
We have definitely become more groove-oriented over the years. The tracks we play at gigs reflect this; we place a big emphasis on good bass lines, melodies, and strong vocals rather than crazy sound design. When we first started making tracks, we didn’t really have a specific area of house we wanted to make. We just made what we liked. But now it has become very specific, more so finding the sound that makes us who we are. Our first releases were heavily influenced by jazz samples, which landed us on Apparel Music. We released 2 EPs on that label.
Then we started to build more groove tracks and landed on Dance All Night Records. Our current sound is one we enjoy the most. But we love to change and switch it up whenever we want. That’s the beauty of house music: we can go to other aspects of house if we want to, moving from Jackin to the deeper end or making more tech house tracks; it really depends on how we're feeling.
Q: If you were to venture into another music genre, which one would you choose and why?
Jack: Probably punk or grunge rock, as I've always had a soft spot for these genres and it's so different from electronic music, making it seem new and exciting!
Henry: I would agree with this, but I would be more into rock. I enjoy live bands, and I think I would have heaps of fun playing in a band.
Q: Could you name 3 tracks that got you into electronic music and why?
Jack's picks:
1- Stardust - Music Sounds Better With You.
I first heard this as a teen, and I haven't been able to get it out of my head since. It still amazes me that a 2-second looped sample can become a full-fledged dance anthem, and it really planted the seed to want to produce.
2- Disclosure - When a Fire Starts to Burn.
Henry and I were both into Disclosure when we met (we still are!), so this song reminds me of those early days of bedroom DJing and finding tunes to mix for no one but ourselves.
3- Deadmau5 - Strobe.
Apart from having one of the best drops of all time, the song was a big turning point for me, listening to electronic instead of rock as a kid, and it still gets me hype all these years later. I still want to recreate that feeling of the drop on a track one day.
Henry's Picks:
1- Jack U - Take You There.
I started out listening to trap and dubstep, which was my introduction to electronic music. This song was the one that hooked me and made me want to dive deeper into the genre.
2- Kaytranada - LITE SPOTS.
When I first found this song, I was amazed by how you could sample a song and remake it as your own. It heavily influenced how we wanted to make songs; we still love to start with a good sample and build a track around it.
3- Fatboy Slim - Praise You.
I remember hearing this song and instantly falling in love with it; it has such a good piano hook and makes me dance all the time.
Q: Can you recommend a hidden gem in your home country that would be perfect for a rave?
Historic Village in Tauranga. It's a place in our hometown with a few historic buildings around, and there is a courtyard in the centre. They have an amphitheatre stage off in the bushes, which would be a perfect place to host an event. The stage is already there, and you can be as loud as hell you want!
Another good spot would be Te Puna Quarry. It is 20 mins outside of the town, and it has this massive amphitheatre stage right underneath a cliff face. It looks absolutely amazing, and hosting an event there would be cool; we could do a daytime rave!
Q: Could you tell us about your upcoming releases and plans for the year?
We have recently released on JackFruit Records, owned by house legend TSHA. Next up, it's summertime in our country, so we are looking to play a few shows through the summer season, host some events, and finalise more demos to test out on the road. We love sending our tunes to our DJ friends who play clubs often so they can test them for us. We're looking to collaborate on a few tracks with some upcoming New Zealand producers; next year we're all about collaborating with other artists.
Q: Can you share a fun fact about yourself that most of your listeners are probably unaware of?
Jack has 2 different university degrees, one in psychology and one in music. Henry is a primary school teacher with a background in theatre studies.
Groundhog - Stay Out / As Soon As Possible [Jackfruit]