Creative Natives - Kaupapa Anthems 2
Kaupapa Anthems 2 (Tuakana Teina Project) marks over 40 years of waiata that have helped shape the social and political sounds of Aotearoa. The project honours the legacy of kaupapa music and the contribution it has made to decades of grassroots resistance here in Aotearoa and across Te Moana nui-a-Kiwa (the Pacific).
https://precise.fm/kaupapaanthems2
Kaupapa Anthems 2 (Tuakana Teina Project) marks over 40 years of waiata that have helped shape the social and political sounds of Aotearoa.
The project honours the legacy of kaupapa music and the contribution it has made to decades of grassroots resistance here in Aotearoa and across Te Moana nui-a-Kiwa (the Pacific).
Led by Zane Graham, Creative Nātives created near faithful reconstructions of these waiata featuring the original artists (Tuakana) alongside younger established artists (Teina). The project was an opportunity to reimagine these waiata with new sounds, musicians and production resources that artists didn’t have access to 40 years ago. This is the first time some of these songs have been recorded.
Artists contributing to the multi-generational project include descendants of Ngā Tamatoa, Polynesian Panthers, He Taua, Black Women's Liberation and HART (Halt All Racist Tours).
“These are the songs we all grew up with, and the album is a chance to acknowledge these icons,” says Te Whenua Harawira, Creative Director of Kaupapa Anthems. “It was inspiring to work with these artists, to hear the intent behind their waiata and to share this kaupapa with a new generation.”
Released on Waitangi Day, the album is freely available on all major streaming platforms
including Spotify and YouTube.
Book now for Syncposium 2024: Bringing Hollywood’s best screen music talent to Auckland
Syncposium 2024 is the hottest ticket in town. A two-day public conference, held at Auckland’s Q Theatre, it showcases the best in the business from the US and Aotearoa’s screen music industries.
Syncposium 2024 is the hottest ticket in town. A two-day public conference, held at Auckland’s Q Theatre, it showcases the best in the business from the US and Aotearoa’s screen music industries.
Syncposium brings together Grammy and Oscar-winning composers Pasek and Paul (La La Land, The Greatest Showman, Only Murders in the Building), top Hollywood television and movie executives and a group of Aotearoa’s best music talent.
Over the two days on February 23-24, Syncposium ticketholders will get a rare opportunity to gain insights, knowledge and inspiration from some of the most influential voices in the entertainment industry.
With a stellar line-up, whose talent has shaped the fabric of popular culture, Syncposium offers a rare chance for enthusiasts, professionals, and aficionados to immerse themselves in the world of music, film, and creativity. From panel discussions and behind-the-scenes anecdotes to cutting-edge industry trends, each speaker will share invaluable perspectives and experiences, making Syncposium a must-see event for anyone passionate about the intersection of music and screen.
"This gathering represents a convergence of unparalleled talent and expertise," says Karyn Rachtman, producer of Syncposium. "This isn't just a conference; it's a celebration of creativity, innovation, and the transformative power of music in cinema. Attendees will walk away not only inspired but armed with invaluable insights to fuel their own creative journeys."
Don't miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be part of Syncposium and witness history in the making. There are only limited tickets left - secure your spot today and prepare to embark on an unforgettable journey into the heart of Hollywood's sonic landscape. BOOK HERE.
Debut release from Outergalactic Music, a new NZ-founded, Berlin-based label dedicated to creativity in dance music
Outergalactic Music is proud to announce their debut release, "This Is Wild". Released 9 February, the track is a collaboration between Berlin's Lars Moston and tech-house legend David Keno, and features vocals by New Zealand's own Murmur Tooth.
Outergalactic Music is proud to announce their debut release, "This Is Wild". Released 9 February, the track is a collaboration between Berlin's Lars Moston and tech-house legend David Keno, and features vocals by New Zealand's own Murmur Tooth. The track is set to be a bleep-bloop dance floor favourite, infusing quirky modular synth with charismatically sassy vocals.
Listen: https://listen.murmurtooth.com/thisiswild
But don’t expect the next release to follow suit. Tired of algorithms that favour homogeneity over creativity, Outergalactic Music founders Murmur Tooth & Lars Moston just want to release great music. “We aren’t interested in songs that fit neatly into specific sub-genres. We’re not saying we’re going to be wildly experimental - we just want to release great tracks, no matter how they’re categorised. House not-House, Pop not-Pop, it's anything but boring - expect the unexpected!”
Outergalactic Music is excited to contribute to the electronic music tapestry, and cordially invites music enthusiasts and dancers alike to join us on our sonic journey!
Stay tuned for updates, behind-the-scenes glimpses, and exclusive releases by following Outergalactic Music on social media:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/outergalactic.music
Award-winning artist General Fiyah releases feel-good new single, ‘One True Love’
Award-winning, 18-year old Aotearoa and Tongan artist General Fiyah has today unveiled his laid-back summer anthem ‘One True Love’.
Award-winning, 18-year old Aotearoa and Tongan artist General Fiyah has today unveiled his laid-back summer anthem ‘One True Love’.
Listen to ‘One True Love’ HERE
An easy-listening, reggae feel sets the tone for a hook-laden melody; General Fiyah’s impeccable vocal performance expressing a poignant lyrical narrative.
“The verses are all about evoking a sense of serenity and wonder, as a person discovers their true love,” explains General Fiyah. “The chorus then becomes a heartfelt declaration, and a promise of unwavering devotion - regardless of the challenges faced.”
Written by Rob Pome’e, the track was then produced by Sheldon Palmer before being mixed and mastered by Errol Brown in Jamaica.
“I have been working behind the scenes with my father and my uncles, trying to fine tune my new music now that I am no longer a 10 year old,” says General Fiyah. “I have to put my music out there for the world to hear the new General Fiyah as an adult.”
General Fiyah, aka Lotima Nicholas Pome'e, is no stranger to performing; the youngest member of the highly successful reggae-pop band Three Houses Down, he’s performed on stages across the globe and is recognisable across the Pacific. At 15, his single ‘Here To Stay’ ft. Three Houses Down won Best Music Video, Best Song and the People's Choice Award at the 2018 Pacific Music Awards. The track currently has over 10 million streams on Spotify alone; the music video racking up over 2 million views on YouTube since its release.
‘One True Love’ gives an exciting taste of what’s to come from this talented artist - watch this space for more!
Listen to ‘One True Love’ HERE
TAMI NEILSON ANNOUNCES RETURN TO WILLIE NELSON’S LUCK RANCH WITH SONG RECORDED AT HIS STUDIO
What better way to celebrate Tami’s return to the iconic Luck Reunion festival held on Willie Nelson’s ranch than with “Sister’s Coming Home”, one of her favourites from his extensive songbook
What better way to celebrate Tami’s return to the iconic Luck Reunion festival held on Willie Nelson’s ranch than with “Sister’s Coming Home”, one of her favourites from his extensive songbook. Featuring exciting new artist and Texas native Nicky Diamonds (The Black Opry) and engineered by GRAMMY award winning Steve Chadie who works in-house at the storied Pedernales Studio, Tami said recording this song was special for many reasons:
“Growing up performing in a family band, I’ve always loved this song from a sibling perspective. This track documents the first time me and my two brothers have recorded music together in 25 years. It wasn’t planned- Jay performs and tours with me regularly and our little brother Todd creates my visuals and has produced many of my music videos and album covers throughout my career. Todd was there to film and document this project- which was supposed to be just Jay and I recording a little acoustic love letter to Willie for his 90th birthday present. We walked into the studio and Chadie had scavenged around the studio for some percussion and rustled up a kick, snare and a floor tom- (no cymbals a la Willie!) I asked Todd if he would mind hopping on the makeshift kit and The Neilson Family was reunited once again!”
After the surprise 2022 live performance at Luck Reunion of their duet, “Beyond the Stars”, Tami and Willie went on to win New Zealand’s “BEST COUNTRY SONG 2023” at the Country Music Awards. Neilson says she will be bringing along the plaque to present to Willie for him to add to his archive. “You know, in case he wants to prop it up next to his 14 GRAMMYS!”, she laughs.
WATCH Willie Nelson crash Tami Neilson’s acceptance speech at the NZ Country Music Awards
“Sister’s Coming Home” is the the first release for Neilson, since her Award winning album “Kingmaker” stunned fans and press alike in 2022.
Local artist unites a community of collaborators through music, film, and the seven psyches.
Nelson-based artist, Silk Satin Suede, is working with a diverse collective of local creatives to tell his story of self-discovery by producing an immersive studio album and short film, balancing the beauty with the darkness in his emotive avant-garde style.
Nelson-based artist, Silk Satin Suede, is working with a diverse collective of local creatives to tell his story of self-discovery by producing an immersive studio album and short film, balancing the beauty with the darkness in his emotive avant-garde style.
Set within the breathtaking landscapes of the Nelson Tasman region, this sonic and visual experience, combining music, surrealist visuals, light, and theatre, is a visceral reflection of the past three years of Silk Satin Suede’s life, swirling through the stinging pains of confusion, and the gracious kisses of love.
He is making this work to raise questions about the human condition in the hope that it will inspire, shock, and guide audiences to form a deeper, more loving and meaningful relationship with the ‘true self’ and the ‘shadow’ – acting as an artistic analysis of Jungian psychology.
The recording of the music began in June 2023 at Birdling Studios in Richmond, Tasman (his parents' beautiful home). After three separate, but equally symbolic and productive weeks, the seven songs are now fully recorded and are currently being mixed. He worked with seven musicians in total: Composer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist, Andrew Denison; Pianist and percussionist, AJ Hickling (who sadly passed away six months after the recording sessions); Violinist, Pascal Roggen; Drummer, Sam Edmonds; Vocalist, Di Duncan; Guitarist, Richard Sherlock; and Bassist, Rua Sargent.
In November 2023, Silk Satin Suede got filming permits from the Department of Conservation to shoot the first of seven music videos at Lake Rotoiti in the Nelson Lakes National Park. This location was specifically chosen because Max experienced a spiritual awakening there after taking a seven minute ice bath in the lake in 2021.
‘Cocoon’ opens the film with striking images of our country's natural beauty and tells the story of the relationship between the ‘Lady of the Lake’ (The Mother, played by Max’s actual mother, Di Duncan), and The Hero (Silk Satin Suede), illustrating the gifting of humanity to Mother Earth, our absolute vulnerability, our battle with our own psyches, and our curiosity to search for new experiences.
This video was produced with British Director, James Grimley (Silk Satin Suede’s cousin, currently living in New Zealand on a working holiday visa); Director of Photography, Macca Clark; Producer and Drone Pilot, Jonathan Lopardo; Set Production Assistant, Jayden Seddon; and Actor, Di Duncan.
The production of the studio album and the first music video were completely funded by money from Max’s own pocket. However, to turn this immersive and emotive album into a cinematic experience, Silk Satin Suede and his local team of talented and passionate creatives need to raise $30,000 to make the next six videos and cover the hard cost of a film production.
They are currently running an all-or-nothing crowdfunding campaign via Boosted (The Arts Foundation), ending on February 27. The $30,000 will go towards the following…
Fairly paying the team for their many hours/days/weeks of work
Feeding the crew
Securing high-quality equipment
Travel costs and accommodation
Paying for DOC National Park filming permits
Ensuring health and safety on location
They have already raised $10,000, but they need the full thirty to receive any funding and bring this surreal world to life. To donate, go to https://www.boosted.org.nz/projects/antique-angel.
This journey of self-discovery, told through the eyes and voice of a deeply passionate artist from the Nelson Tasman is planned to be released in theatres throughout the country this year, alongside a documentary telling the story of how it was all made possible through the belief, talent, hard-work, and love of a community of local creative collaborators.
Website: https://www.silksatinsuede.com/
Boosted Campaign: https://www.boosted.org.nz/projects/antique-angel
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/silksatinsuede
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/silksatinsuede/
Crystal Chen welcomes in the Lunar New Year with an alluring ode to love letters and Valentine’s with her brand new soul-infused single ‘Love Letter’.
Tamaki Mākaurau-based Chinese-New Zealand musician and visual artist, Crystal Chen rings in the Lunar New Year with an alluring new single ‘Love Letter’, aptly released on Valentine’s Day.
Tamaki Mākaurau-based Chinese-New Zealand musician and visual artist, Crystal Chen rings in the Lunar New Year with an alluring new single ‘Love Letter’, aptly released on Valentine’s Day. The modern soul-infused track is a different production sound for the songstress, who collaborated with Kenny Sterling (Mānuka Recordings) on the writing, recording and production for her first release of 2024.
Even when they’re brief and fleeting, real love affairs often endure through rose-tinted memories and artefacts of fading ephemera: candid polaroid photos, elegantly penned handwritten letters, a scent lingering on an item of clothing.
On ‘Love Letter’, Crystal Chen passionately implores a lover to write to her. In the process, she evokes a silky smooth atmosphere as vivid and warmly coloured as her analog 35mm and medium format film photography.
The track is an intoxicating melange of jazz, post-disco, R&B, and modern soul that draws emotional and stylistic influences from 80s British sophisti-pop, New York’s late 90s/early 2000s Soulquarian movement and the romantic melodies and drifting dreamscapes of the eternal queen of Asian Pop, the late great Teresa Teng. Featuring the epic credits of Julien Dyne on Congas and Chris Manning on Trumpet.
Crystal’s inspiration stemmed from a real life love letter found in the depths of her desk, she says, “It was bittersweet to the extreme, yin and yang at its peak. I would have almost forgotten that a love like that existed if it wasn’t for that letter. We tend to do that when a memory is too painful to keep in the mind, it is special that we get to keep it in a physical form and revisit it if you dare, or even burn it – but in my case I wanted to treasure it.”
‘Love Letter’ is supported by an accompanying Shanghai-1940’s-inspired music video which is soon to be released. Co-directed by Crystal herself, alongside her production collaborator Matt Hunter (Kenny Sterling). The sultry visual fuses her passions for film and music, creating a cinematic and beautiful audiovisual treat.
Having both directed and starred in the accompanying music video release, Crystal speaks of her experience, “Usually directing and starring in music videos are super challenging having to wear multiple shoes on set, but Matt got the whole vision and it feels good to complete this project together. I wanted to embrace my culture by wearing a qipao and playing mahjong. I also wanted my Mum to be in it and my gorgeous girlfriends. From the set decoration to the incredible cast and crew, I can’t believe that a fantasy from my mind came true.”
She goes on to say, “It was magic. I felt like we were not in New Zealand and transported back in time, especially with my Chinese girls who all got those 40’s fingerwaves and wore traditional Chinese dresses that we sourced from all the aunties in Auckland.”
Alongside her music, Crystal is currently working on a photography book with her mother who has Alzheimer's disease. Having just come back from travelling to the motherland China, the pair captured their experience on 35mm and 120 film, across 18 different cities. This book will be displayed as a mixed-media memoir with storytelling images of their mother-daughter relationship and Alzheimer's, whilst marking a significant time in Crystal’s journey as she discovers her roots.
‘Love Letter’ kickstarts an exciting year for Crystal Chen, with forthcoming projects and releases forecasted for her 2024.
Find Crystal Chen online
Instagram | Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube | Bandcamp
Brandn Shiraz releases new single ‘gunfinger’ and kicks off the new year with a bang.
Cook Island native and Tāmaki Makaurau based Brandn Shiraz releases his first single of 2024, 'gunfinger'. This release comes off the back of an epic opportunity at the internationally renowned Boiler Room event in Rarotonga - the first time the collective hits their mark on the Pacific Islands and commemorates the first of many releases for Brandn Shiraz in 2024.
Cook Island native and Tāmaki Makaurau based Brandn Shiraz releases his first single of 2024, 'gunfinger'. This release comes off the back of an epic opportunity at the internationally renowned Boiler Room event in Rarotonga - the first time the collective hits their mark on the Pacific Islands and commemorates the first of many releases for Brandn Shiraz in 2024.
Last year, we saw Shiraz featured on the track 'Holding On' in the latest Home Brew 'Run It Back' album, a self-titled EP release at the beginning of the year, a music video filmed at his homeland in Rarotonga - now amassing over 54,000 views online, as well as a sold-out show at Galatos playing alongside Natia The God, MOKOMOKAI, Nauti and Eno x Dirty.
Of the track, Shiraz says, "I recorded this track right after me and the brothers performed a sold-out show at Galatos in Auckland,” with the energy of the crowd still in his veins he says, “I must’ve still been buzzing from my performance and I wanted to channel it all back into music. The high energy and rawness was exactly how I felt at that moment."
A pillar in the local community, his new single 'gunfinger' speaks to his ongoing commitment to impressive outputs. Most recently, Sniffers described Shiraz as the "new generation frontrunners of Aotearoa’s hip-hop scene" – a true testament to his commitment and legacy thus far. Shiraz continues to captivate listeners with his unique sound, pushing the boundaries of creativity. The track features production from BENJAMIN & NWAK's, NWAK, as well as Shiraz’s signature flow and metaphorical prowess.
No stranger to the music scene, Shiraz has had many prolific achievements in the New Zealand underground. We saw him collaborating with lifelong friend Tuhoea 'Lightskinjohn' Tuteao and label/collective The Grow Room on D.I.Y rap project Shiraz & LSJ, which gave him the confidence and experience to expand his songwriting capabilities.
In past years, Shiraz has also released an EP with Christoph El Truento of @Peace and Avantdale Bowling Club, he was invited onto David Dallas’ 64 Bars series, and earned props from Melodownz, who said if he could “bet all his money on anyone it’d be Shiraz”.
Find Brandn Shiraz online
Instagram | Spotify | YouTube | Apple Music