The original Te Ku Te Whe was released in 1993, and was instantly recognised as a landmark in the history of Maori music - bringing the sounds of Nga Taonga (traditional Maori instruments) to the ears of a mainstream audience for the first time. Anyone familiar with the haunting musical sounds interwoven through films such as Whale Rider or Once Were Warriors will have already experienced the atmospheric sounds that are the centrepiece of both the original and these remixed versions of Te Ku Te Whe.
This remix edition - Te Whaiao - melds the traditional sounds of Te Ku Te Whe with some of New Zealand's finest contemporary musical acts. SJD, Sola Rosa, Salmonella Dub, The Nomad, and Rhian Sheehan are amongst the many artists adding their own brand of musical brilliance to the mix.
From the typically dub-heavy electronic imaginings of Pitch Black on 'Te Po', to the almost perfectly matched soulful sounds of Warren Maxwell (TrinityRoots, Little Bushmen) on 'Wai', the remixes not only capture the original spirit of the recordings, but take it into in new sonic dimensions that make it one of the most unique, interesting and compelling New Zealand releases of the year.
