Tiki Taane - "Tangaroa (God of the Sea)"

This song has the power to bring tears to my eyes.

This is a little bit of Kiwi self-indulgence for my second post. This song is actually a couple of years old now, but I doubt much of the rest of the world has paid any attention to it.

The main reason I put this song here is because when I first heard it I totally loved it - for it's own musical merits, but also because it showcases the Maori language - something we don't get enough of in mainstream Kiwi music. It has a bit of a dance rhythm to it, wonderful bass (esp. @ about 3mins 5secs) and a great modern, yet tribal sound. A few months after 'Tangaroa' came out, Tiki released a second single, 'Always on my mind' a low key acoustic number that took off in popularity and got played on a very regular basis. To me, this was almost devastating. 'Tangaroa' is a much more powerful and interesting song than 'Always..' but with 'Always..' being a love-song, it just had that much more commercial appeal. I actually developed a little bit of a loathing for it (until I heard 'Always on my dub mind' on Tiki's album "Past, Present & Future") just because of the appeal that it recieved over the awesome 'Tangaroa'.

Here is the video (via YouTube) for your enjoyment:



I managed to locate the Lyrics/Translation here:

Ko Papatuanuku me Ranginui nga matua o te ao
I puta mai nga tamariki nga Atua o te ao
He Atua o te moana
Ko Tangaroa he Atua o te moana
Tu mai te ihi
Tu mai te wehiwehi
Tu mai te wanawana e
Hi ha aue

From the divine heartbeat of Mother Earth and the ever-elusive constant of Sky Father
All descend and all ascend the natural world
The timeless current of tranquil stillness
The harmonic music of ones infinite ocean
Resilient are the vital influences of the universe
Stand liberated by the inner radiance
Be still be silent and all shall be revealed

Na Uekaha Taanetinorau nga kupu Maori, na Tamiaho Herangi-Searancke te whakapakehatia

Lyrics written by Uekaha, translation by Tamiaho

All music by Tiki Taane

Tiki's solo work is not available on Amazon at this time, but a few collaborations are, including the very awesome Inside the Dub Plates - highly recommended.