Te Whaiao (Daylight)

BEST MAORI ALBUM 2007

Te Whaiao | Daylight brings together some of New Zealand’s finest downbeat artists to interpret one of Aotearoa’s most revered recordings.

From its release in 1994, Te Ku Te Whe was a landmark recording, bringing the sounds of taonga pūoro (the traditional instruments of Māori) to a global audience for the very first time. Shortly before his untimely death in 2003, Hirini Melbourne suggested new approaches and contexts for their music via beats and digital manipulation. In 2005, Rattle took the initiative by approaching a dream-team of producers to interpret Hirini and Richard’s classic album. 18 months later, Te Whaiao was the inspired result, a work that extends the Te Ku Te Whe metaphor of the ‘mat of sound’ by opening new windows into the original music through the sensibilities of a new generation of musical artists.

SJD, Unitone HiFi, Chris Macro, Rhian Sheehan, Epsilon Blue, Lee Prebble, James Duncun, Sola Rosa, Warren Maxwell, Farmer Pimp, Pitch Black, The Nomad, Victoria Kelly, Salmonella Dub

Produced by Chris Macro
Executive production by Tim Gummer and Jacqui Baker
Original recordings by Steve Garden
Mastering by Angus McNaughton
Cover photography by Maureen Lander
Design by Tim Gummer Design