WAI.TAI’s Ma¯ ori and multicultural sounds
Musicians with iwi/international backgrounds to play
WAI.TAI, a Ma¯oriworld fusion collective featuring members from Auckland, Wellington, Dunedin and New Plymouth, will be playing at the Levin Folk Club tomorrow night.
They have headlined major folk festivals in Aotearoa, and their first EP Hoea has surpassed half a million plays on Spotify. WAI.TAI merges both original contemporary and traditional music from right here in Aotearoa, with music from all over the world, and infuses te reo Ma¯ori seamlessly into and across the music. WAI.TAI is a collective of musicians under the direction of Robyn Kamira who writes and arranges the songs and tunes in te reo Maori and English. The line-ups vary and musicians for each concert are selected from around the country to ensure that the best mix of instruments and styles come together for the occasion. The range of iwi
affiliations amongst musicians include Te Rarawa, Nga¯ti Raukawa, Nga¯ti Tamatera, Te Ati Awa, Nga¯ puhi and many more. Their international affiliations include American, English, Rarotongan and Israeli. Featured
in the Levin concert are Robyn Kamira, Te Auripo Kamira, Antony Royal, Ruby Mae Hinepunui Solly and Michael Muggeridge. “The southern-most ocean currents converge with oceans that unite all peoples. The music honours our connections. The songs are embodied by the call of the feminine voices, earthy percussions and delicate strings. The lyrics are in both Ma¯ori and English and the arrangements are a carefully crafted soundscape. Emotive, subtle and heartening.”