24 January 2014 - 0 Comments

MAMAKU – TWIGS OF GOLD
Album release date : 24th January 2014

Let's call it Groove-Hop! 

The Mamaku Project's celebrated electro-organic sessions have crystallized into a compelling new album with a wide emotional spectrum, drawing on trip-hop, quirky grooves, and chanson.

The lush sound palette, organically electronic, carries tender vocals, broody harmony and rhythmic word. Cinematic layers of altered guitar flesh out stirring analog synth bass lines and eclectic beats. Woodwinds, horns and conch shells adorn the compositions with luminous lines and skillful improvisations. Dark yet playful, contemplative yet dynamic, this record, indebted to Aotearoa/NZ's soil and sea, offers songs of the moment, and a truly global sensitivity.

The Mamaku Project was born of the meeting of two French-Kiwi’s, Tui Mamaki and Monsieur E., both with a passion for music and travel. With one hand firmly in their roots and the other reaching into trans-cultural imaginings, the Mamaku Project have managed to create a reputation for compelling musical performances, embracing elements of Chanson, Dub, Bohemian Groove and Poetry. 

Their engaging, evocative show has taken them to numerous arts and music festivals around the globe, including Aotearoa / New Zealand, where they are based, Australia, Korea, Canada and Europe. The pool of talented musicians working with them, shifts and morphs over the years, revealing different incarnations of the music but always true to their antipodean roots. Collaboration with contemporary dancers and video artists furthers their theatrical exuberance.

Twigs of Gold features a stellar cast of players including, Will Scott (Sola Rosa) on drums, Gareth Priceless (Semi Lemon Cola, Dan Sperber Complex) on guitar, Kingsley Melhuish (Pacific Echoes) on conch shells and horns, Finn Scholes (Batucada Sound Machine, Carnivorous Plants Society) on trumpet, Oliver Emmit (Batucada Sound Machine) on trombone, John Ellis (Beyondensemble, Jews Brothers) on percussion, Maxime Berton (Cataclysm Box, Paris, France) on saxophone and bass clarinet, and founding members, Monsieur E. on synthesisers, keyboards, beats and accordion, and Tui Mamaki on vocals.

The album was recorded, mixed and produced by Monsieur E. at ShackdeLuxe Studios, and mastered by Angus McNaughton at Auralux. Album artwork by Tui Mamaki. Pressed at Stebbing, distributed in NZ by Rhythmethod and in Europe by Monkey Records.

Mamaku will be on tour this summer with Twigs of Gold, featuring live visuals by Lupavision.

ALBUM RELEASE TOUR DATES

JAN 23 – NELSON Playhouse
JAN 25 – KAIKOURA Strawberry Tree
JAN 26 – CHRISTCHURCH Dux Live
JAN 29 – FOX GLACIER Cook Saddle
JAN 30 – GREYMOUTH Barrytown Hall
JAN 31 – MARAHAU Park Cafe
FEB 1 – TAKAKA Mussel Inn
FEB 2 – PICTON Le Café
FEB 3 – WELLINGTON The Laundry
FEB 7 – WHANGANUI Musicians Club
FEB 8 – NEW PLYMOUTH Rhythm Bar
FEB 14 – COROMANDEL Colville Rd
FEB 22 – HAMILTON Gardens Arts Festival
FEB 28 – AUCKLAND Kings Arms

http://www.mamakuproject.com/

Link to new Mardi Gras video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h72BQZL8PJI

PRESS:

Colourful music, highly talented musicians… In the foreground there is the exquisite voice of Tui Mamaki…exciting and courageous, you will always hear new nuances… http://www.welt-musik.net/ (Germany)

Conjures up a nomadic past…exotic scales and jazzy improvisations are interwoven with familiar images of sand and sea in an impressive fusion, highlighted by Mamaki’s powerful, microtonal vocals. Nick Bollinger- The Sampler (NZ)

…Sprouting their own version of New Zealand song, taking in Pacifica, dub/reggae and jazz styles with a distinctly cinematic weave. A new national treasure. Simon Sweetman – North & South (NZ)

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