TE KAAHU’s critically-acclaimed debut album Te Kaahu O Rangi can now be heard like never before! From today the nine-track album will be available in Spatial Audio with support for Dolby Atmos, exclusively on Apple Music. It comes as TE KAAHU prepares to perform this week at BIGSOUND– Australia’s leading new music festival and conference.
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Te Kaahu O Rangi has drawn praise from critics for its exquisite songcraft and sonics, which take the listener on a captivating journey. Now, thanks to revolutionary technology in sound from Apple Music, fans of the album can listen in Spatial Audio, which allows artists to create an immersive audio experience with true multidimensional sound and clarity.
The TE KAAHU album is among only a handful of New Zealand-made albums currently available in Spatial Audio, and Theia (the Aotearoa talent behind the TE KAAHU project) is thrilled that this body of work, which is fully in te reo Māori and pays tribute to her tūpuna wāhine, can be celebrated in such a way.
“For me TE KAAHU has always been about connecting the past, Te Ao Tawhito with the future, Te Ao Hōu. These waiata are steeped in old-school sentiment and language but connect with a younger audience too simply because it’s from a rangatahi perspective. It’s an honour to have these songs presented in such a way that people can truly experience their wairua.
“When we were making this record, we put such care into ensuring that the vocals were front and centre. And so to now hear it in the Spatial Audio format is incredible. The only way I can convey the feeling is to imagine being in a cathedral and hearing the choir all around you and above,” says Theia.
The album was mixed in Spatial Audio by the AMA-winning Jol Mulholland (Troy Kingi, Racing, French For Rabbits) at The Lab in Auckland and mastered by Grammy- winning Brian Lucey (Lizzo, Post Malone, Cordae).
By default, Apple Music automatically plays Spatial Audio tracks with support for Dolby Atmos on all AirPods and Beats headphones with an H1 or W1 chip, as well as the built-in speakers in the latest versions of iPhone, iPad, and Mac.
This news comes following a massive few months for TE KAAHU. The album’s release in May was supported by a triumphant launch show at the Tuning Fork in Auckland for Matariki. It has also seen nominations for ‘Best New Artist’ in the inaugural Rolling Stone NZ Awards, ‘Best Reo Māori Album’ at the Waiata Māori Music Awards and a nod in the Top 5 at this year’s APRA Maioha Award. TE KAAHU is also only one of seven Aotearoa acts invited to perform at this year’s BIGSOUND in Brisbane. Theia and her band will perform Tuesday September 6 at Black Bear Lodge (9.50pm) and Wednesday September 7 at the Press Club (11.40pm).
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