Tūpiki' by Abigail Aroha Jensen and Riki Pirihi is an extraordinary album inspired by Maui's journey to climb the 12 steps to heaven, featuring a tantalising blend of taonga pūoro, percussion and electronics, it transcends genres and easy descriptions. To celebrate it's release on vinyl through Audio Foundation Records on Thursday 27 March at Meow the duo will give their first performance in Whanganui-a-Tara with support from Te Kupu/Dan Beban and Mauri Aura. Tūpiki is available digitally and on vinyl at audiofoundation.bandcamp.com or at the shows!
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Riki Pirihi & Abigail Aroha Jensen
Riki Pirihi (Ngāti Wai, Ngāti Maahanga) is a musician and percussionist currently living in Whanganui-a-Tara/Wellington. He currently practices percussion, composes music for films, and has developed a technique called Raungatuone (Weaving Gestures) for conducting Taonga Pūoro. He has performed and recorded alongside a diverse range of artists — Orchestra of Spheres, Mara TK, Crowded House, Recloose, Leila Adu, Fat Freddys Drop, Seven David Jnr, Bic Runga, Connan Mockasin, and Jeff Henderson. He is presently performing regularly as Cave Circles, Tuone Conduction Ensemble (as conductor), Orchestra of Spheres, Aja, DJ Oboe, and Clear Path Ensemble.
Abigail Aroha Jensen (Ngāti Porou) is an interdisciplinary artist who loves to play in all sorts of arrangements with friends and family. She has played and exhibited her work throughout Aotearoa and internationally. Her latest sound installation was recently presented at the Busan Biennale in South Korea. She likes to weave with waiata, random debris, field recordings and taonga pūoro. She loves bells. She uses a mixer for some sets, other times a bowl of water will suffice.
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Te Kupu/Dan Beban
Te Kupu (Dean Hapeta, Ngati Huia) is a musician, composer, poet and orator, who has been creating socio-politically charged rap, poetry, music and film/video with U.H.P./Upper Hutt Posse (as principal songwriter/lead vocalist), and as a solo recording artist for four decades. He has also produced a six-part rapumentary series titled Ngātahi – Know The Links, on native and marginalised people’s art and activism in twenty-three countries.
Daniel Beban is a musician, sound artist, author and producer. He performs on a number of different instruments in groups including Orchestra of Spheres, Devil's Gate Outfit, Imbogodom, the Stinging Nettles, Farewell Spit and UMU. Dan has also been managing the hub for adventurous sound in Whanganui-a-'The Pyramid Club' since 2013.
Te Kupu will be performing spoken word while Dan plays tape manipulations
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Mauri Aura
A journey to uplift the tikanga of our tūpuna, reconnecting paths laid before us, carving the present and future bonds upheld through waiata. Michael Hiroti (Wear Pounamu - Te Ātihaunui-a-pāpārangi, Ngāti Apa, Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairarapa) and Curtis Lake (Lakeboon - Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Makea Ārera ki Rarotonga, Pāmati), embody the wairua of maori aura, a shared experience that intertwines both listener and artist.
Merging the subtle, spiritual facets of plugg ambient, alongside hiko-waiata and taonga pūoro, mauri serves as a vessel for the life essence which flows through us all, the aura present in the relationships between living and natural things. TIHEI MAURI AURA
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Doors 8PM
Thursday 27 March @ Meow
Tickets from meow.nz or $30 on the door
