Breaking Artists (October 2021)
Written by Admin on October 6, 2021
‘Breaking Artists’ on Base is a monthly feature where we pick 3 local artists and showcase 3 new tracks we think you should know. All ‘Breaking Artists’ tracks are fresh and featured for the entire month so that we can push their music far and wide.
This month’s picks…
Hāni Dreak – “Kōkiri”
Waikato musician Hani Totorewa, also known as Hāni Dread, has released a new waiata honouring the revolutionaries who fought for the recognition of te reo Māori as an official language of Aotearoa.
Kōkiri pays tribute to those who delivered a Māori language petition withover 30,000 plus signatures to parliament in September 1972. Totorewa, of Ngaati Maho, says the petition was the beginning of a renaissance for te reo Māori.
“It’s about whakamana i te reo Maori (strengthening the Māori language) and that gives us huge inspiration to what see what we have now such as kura kaupapa, wharekura, whare wānanga, reo irirangi,” he says.
In 1999, Totorewa joined reggae band Katchafire as its keyboard player. He has also played for musicians including Maisey Rika, Ria Hall, Troy Kingi and Rob Ruha. His new waiata Kōkiri features deep reggae grooves that morph into funk and soul vibes as a nod to the 70s and the significant milestones of the era.
“There are lines in the waiata that say ‘ākona te reo i ngā kura’ so reo should be taught in schools and it’s also remembering those who fought for te reo Māori during those times like Ngā Tamatoa, Polynesian Panthers and Te Reo Māori Society.”
Tomorrow People – “Give It To Me”
The seven piece band, Tomorrow People opened the month of October with “Give It To Me”. Featuring the legendary Polynesian recording artist and dynamic entertainer, Fiji delivers his golden voice to this Island reggae track.
“Give It To Me” is the 11th track Tomorrow People have released apart of their instalment of “First Fridays” where drop a new single every Friday!
Rick Shripm – “Ultraviolet”
Injecting an invigorating dose of low key funk into last year’s Two Daze compilation of Aotearoa artists, Rick Shrimp has announced himself in a big way with today’s double-song drop of ‘St Petersburg‘ and ‘Ultraviolet‘. Bringing the boogie in a time-defying style that calls to mind the crate-digging output of Washington DC imprint PPU, Shrimp has also released an enigmatic clip for ‘St Petersburg’ — presumably shedding light on the Tāmaki Makaurau-based musical entertainer’s cool and sophisticated pre-show routine. Although details about Shrimp initially verged on nonexistent, thankfully we received the following facts this morning via the UTR hotline…
“Rick Shrimp (Ричард Шрим) is a 56 year old entertainer. His hobbies include spearfishing and traditional archery. In 1978, he ranked #43 in the Eurovision DJ Championships in Belgrade. His debut album Never Challenge Me was released to massive local acclaim, however its lyrical content saw him arrested for “disrespect”, essentially ending his career… Until now. Thanks to the hard work of a penpal from the island of New Zealand, Rick Shrimp is now living in West Auckland, and working on his comeback special!”