‘New Album’ is where a band or artist answers some questions about their latest release. Up next is Ariana Tikao & Al Fraser, whose collaborative album ‘Nau mai e kä hua’ came out late last year on Rattle Records. They have just released a new video, ‘Nau Mai e Kā Hua’, and have been featured in the upcoming April edition of Songlines, where one of their songs has been chosen for the CD that goes with the magazine.
When/where was the new album recorded?
Some of it was recorded at Al’s home studio, and we recorded most of my vocals at the Surgery with Lee Prebble, as well as some of the improvisations there.
Who produced/engineered the album? How did the tracks come together in the studio, or at home?
Al produced it. Some of the waiata were already in our live repertoire, others were waiata that we really liked and wanted to include, such as ‘Homai Tō Poho’ by Kuini Moehau Reedy. We recorded Nau Mai e Kā Hua, the title track at Al’s house, and both played the soundscape to it.
How did the songwriting happen? Are there any overall themes within the songs/album?
I wrote most of the waiata and we would record the vocals and then Al would add taonga puoro to them. One of the waiata I wrote last year and had a voice recording of it, but I’d actually forgotten that I’d written it. It was quite strange finding it in my phone, and not really having any recollection of it, but then I found that I’d also typed up the lyrics on my computer. That one was Patupaiarehe which has quite a different vocal sound to my usual style also. Another of the waiata I wrote for the Auaha collaboration. It is called E Moko e, and is basically a river welcoming a mokopuna back to it, speaking of our connection to our environment. Once we had the whole album we realised that Water was a big theme, and that is also seen in the beautiful cover image by Tony Bridge called ‘Te Korowai o Tangaroa’.
Were you going for a different sound/approach on this album?
We were wanting to stick to the kaupapa of it being purely taonga puoro and vocals. At times we were almost swayed into adding strings or other instrumentation but I’m glad now that we stuck to our original intention. It was inspired by the album that Richard Nunns and Whirimako Black did together, called Te More, which we are both big fans of. We also thought that we would add the improvisations to break up the waiata, and also for me to have a chance to play some taonga puoro as well. It’s something we both enjoy to play together in the moment.
Was there any specific gear you used to capture that?
Al: Yes, we recorded some of Ariana’s vocals at The Surgery Studios and most of them at The Chicken Coop, which is my home studio. At The Surgery we used a Neuman U67 into some excellent preamps. The Chicken Coop sessions we used an AKG 414 TL2 into a Babyface Pro. When we recorded taonga pūoro at my place we used a mid/side mic arrangement with the AKG 414 used for the mid and a Lewitt LCT440 for the side details and a similar mid/side set up at The Surgery but with both mics being AKG 414 BULS. I find the mid/side set up with AKG 414 mics gives a natural, spacious sound for taonga pūoro. The recordings sound like I hear the taonga with this set up, but just ‘nicer’ and with depth of field.
Is there a particular single/track that you feel captures the essence of the album?
‘Nau Mai e Kā Hua’ is a sung karakia which is an aknowledgement of some of the atua who provide us with sustenance, and ‘Te Reo o te Wai’ also encapsulates the theme of water and how integral it is to life on this planet. I was inspired to write it after going on Aoraki Bound last year, which is basically Outward Bound for Kāi Tahu people, where you go to many places of significance, including the Marlborough Sounds, the Arahura River, Arowhenua Marae, and the Mackenzie Basin including Lake Pūkaki and Aoraki. The waiata tracks the sound and journey of fresh water from Aoraki mauka, as it flows down to the sea.
Is there a physical copy available? If not which digital platforms is it available on?
Yes you can order physical copies from Rattle Records. Also Al and I have some to sell at our live shows. The album is also available for download at Bandcamp and streaming on Spotify.
Are you working on a video/videos for any of the songs? Are you doing any gigs or promotion for its release?
Yes, a video for the title track will soon be available online by Sebastian Lowe and we are going to do some shows as a duo later in the year. We are playing at CubaDupa on 27 March with Ruby Solly and Rikki Gooch, but will be doing other material as part of a Hirini Melbourne tribute set.
Nau Mai e Kā Hua by Ariana Tikao & Alistair Fraser from Otis Makers on Vimeo.