Beats + Pieces Vol. 61
Ken Ishii, Moizna, Mokotron, and various other topics.
Selected Works is a weekly (usually) newsletter by the Te Whanganui-a-Tara, Aotearoa (Wellington, New Zealand) based freelance music journalist, broadcaster, copywriter and sometimes DJ Martyn Pepperell, aka Yours Truly. Most weeks, Selected Works consists of a recap of what I’ve been doing lately and some of what I’ve been listening to and reading, paired with film photographs I’ve taken + some bonuses. All of that said, sometimes it takes completely different forms.
KEN ISHII, REFERENCE TO DIFFERENCE
Earlier in the year, I worked closely with my good friend Ken Hidaka and the team at Sublime Records and Musicmine Inc. to create the liner notes for the 30th-anniversary vinyl reissue of the Japanese techno pioneer Ken Ishii's Reference To Difference.
A futuristic confluence of ambient, techno, IDM and minimalist composition, the album teleports the listener through space and time to a golden moment in the mid-1990s when a dedicated generation rose out of Tokyo’s storied underground nightclubs to create a movement that took the innovation, energy, and creativity of Japan’s unique techno culture to the world.
Last week, received my copy in the mail alongside a copy of the accompanying reissue of the late great Susumu Yokota's Acid Mt. Fuji, which includes liner notes written by Yokota-san's good friend Alex From Tokyo. It's been such a privilege to be involved in such a special project. I say all that to say this: physical and digital copies of Reference To Difference will be on sale from the 6th of September. However, if you’d like to get in on some pre-order action, you can do that over here.
WHAT I’VE BEEN LISTENING TO:
Aotearoa’s longstanding Indigenous electronic music proponent, MOKOTRON, is gearing up to release the new full-length WAEREA album in digital and vinyl formats via the Sunreturn label. Right now, you can listen to his new single ‘ŌHĀKĪ’, which blends puoro (traditional Māori instruments), breakbeats, heaving basslines, and manipulated Te Reo Māori vocals.
Here’s a statement he made about the single on Instagram: He aha te ōhākī o Irihapeti? ŌHĀKĪ is a response to the death of Queen Elizabeth. Our stolen lands were held in her name. Who will take responsibility for returning these lands to us now, King Charles? Will our children now wait for a freedom that never comes? An ōhākī is a deathbed speech: What ōhākī did Elizabeth make? Kawiti prophesied in his ōhākī that his descendants should wait till a time when the sandfly nipped at the pages of Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and at that time the people would rise up. Perhaps Elizabeth herself was the sandfly that nipped away at the covenant signed between our peoples. To whom does the responsibility fall now, who will lead these issues, and how long will our people wait for justice? Mā wai rā?
While I’ve got you, let’s not forget about the accompanying music video music made in collaboration between animator and video artist Simon Ward & visual artist James Paratii Lainchbury (with assistance from NZ On Air Music). It’s been awhile since I’ve seen something like this.
DJ GIGS:
From 5-10 PM on Saturday, the 14th of September, I’ll be DJing at Vogelmorn in Wellington with two of Wellington’s most involved diggers, Simon Wallace and TV Disko. Knowing these guys, I’ll have to really spend some time going through my crates to find some interesting and fun stuff to bring along. I’m gonna say you should expect global dance music from the ‘70s, ‘80s and ‘90s, but with these guys, anything could happen really. Free entry!
AUDIO CULTURE: MOIZNA
Back in 1997, teenagers across Auckland couldn’t believe their eyes and ears when ‘Just Another Day’ by West Auckland hip-hop/R&B group Moizna (mow-is-na) became a regular feature on Max TV’s after-school programme The Beat. Seeing these young Polynesian women wearing puffer jackets and vests while singing and rapping over world-class production was a watershed moment for a generation. Three years later, Moizna disbanded, leaving behind a legacy of classic singles and music videos that continue to resonate today. My profile of Moizna is live on Audio Culture now.
WHAT I’VE BEEN READING:
The Conversation: People think they are much better at understanding others than they actually are – new research.
A carefully exclusionary art history: Sight Lines by Kirsty Baker, reviewed: The first book on women and art in New Zealand since the late 1980s questions the premise of the book itself – the term women. For The Spinoff, Gabi Lardies. Read here.
Breaking Through: Angel D'lite: The South London artist has illuminated dance floors with her versatile, old-school rave energy. Tom Gledhill looks further into her kaleidoscopic vision. For Resident Advisor, Tom Gledhill. Read here.
Honey Dijon: “I want people to feel like they stepped into another world”: Honey Dijon occupies a rarefied world where house music’s past, present and future collide. She’s experienced the roots of the culture in some of its most pioneering clubs, but these days helps to define what comes next while also soundtracking the now. Something of a latecomer to Ibiza's world-famous scene, this year she will be one of its biggest draws with her Club Chinois residency. She will bring with her a depth of experience, and a love for sharing house music’s rich, diverse culture with the world. For DJ Mag, Kristan J Caryl learns more. Read here.
The history of the White Isle: How did Ibiza become a party island?: From the earliest settlers to modern-day clubbers, we dive into a potted history of the world-famous party island. For Mixmag, Gemma Ross. Read here.
As I write to you today, I’m sitting at the airport after spending the last five days in the south island city of Christchurch at the annual WORD books and literature festival. While I was there, I caught talks from the writer of the moment, Talia Marshall (author of the remarkable Whaea Blue), Romesh Dissanayake, Saraid De Silva, Sasha taqwšəblu LaPointe, Tayi Tibble, some of the artists behind the Pacific Arts Aotearoa tome and some spoken word poetry. The programming at WORD is always top-notch, and the conversations are enjoyable and interesting. This isn’t an easy thing to accomplish at all. Salute to all involved.
Outside of WORD, I also fit in a Monday afternoon DJ set on the local student radio station RDU 98.5 FM, checked out my friend Lucy’s dips and scones stand at the Lyttleton Farmers Market, had some delicious wood-fired pizza at Lillies, and conducted an extensive interview for an upcoming Audio Culture profile. I even managed to sneak off and see a terrible movie that I kinda loved (no prizes for guessing what that was).
FIN.