Ngāti Hine historian and producer Mokotron shares his perfect weekend playlist.
Producer Mokotron might be feasting on the treats from Indian Sweets and Snacks on Dominion Road. He’s eyeing up the paneer, idli and kahori for the weekend, which he’ll pair with “mowing the lawns, taking bubba to ride her scooter at Parrs Park, carving some shitty unplayable puoro, [and] writing more war dubs for David Seymour.”
Mokotron reckons there’s no box to label this genre. Honestly, who’s gonna be brave to try and put the sounds of his latest album, Waerea, into one category? “The point was to put a flag in the ground for Māori Bass music as the logical next step in the evolution of dance music in this country and the ongoing cultural renaissance of our people,” he says. “To be honest it’s already happening: We have Netana, Lakeboon, Akcept, Caru, Lady Shaka, Samara Alofa, Huia, Te Manu, Ngāio Matariki, Kommi, Ahirā / Kōroto, Diaz Grimm, Wear Pounamu, Riki Pirihi and hopefully others stacking up an arsenal of anti-colonial subsonic artillery. I want Māori Bass to exist in my lifetime.”
If you’re looking for the right weekend scenario to listen to Mokotron, wish yourself out. “You’d have to be in a pretty dark brutal mood,” he says, in defence of listening to his own music. “Probably underneath the ground in a bunker under K Road parked in front of a sub. Probably at Double Whammy.”
Here’s the hearty jams that make Mokotron’s weekend.
Dam Native – The Horified One
This tune was life changing – it set an unmatchable standard in terms of kaupapa, lyricism and flows with the instrumental and video to match. Living in Maungawhau as a rangatahi at the time, there was a picture of Hype at the top of Symonds Street in the window of Buffalo Bill’s. It was like a pouwhenua for the rohe, at the pinnacle of the city. This is still the pinnacle of the city.
Yothu Yindi – Treaty (Radio Mix)
This song laid down a challenge that I couldn’t ignore and haunted me for much of my life – the challenge of adapting electronic dance music as a medium for Indigenous language, instruments and kaupapa.
State of Bengal – Chittagong Chill
When Sam toured here he laid down the challenge to me: “No one needs to hear what a Māori boy has to say about Hip Hop or Drum and Bass. The only thing you can contribute to the world is Māori music, and if you can do that, the whole world will feel it”. Moe mai rā e te rangatira.
The Stone Roses – Fools Gold (Grooverider’s Mix)
I’m not a musician, I’m a Māori historian by trade, with a pretty strong anti-colonial focus. I’m not anti-British though. Is that a bit like saying “I’m not racist, I’ve got heaps of Pākehā mates”? The underlying concept of “acid” and the way it is interpreted through the filtered techstep bassline just gets me. Best of British.
DJ Rolando – Knights of the Jaguar
Underground Resistance are a huge influence, not just musically, their use of urban Indigenous mythology is really the inspiration for what I do. The combination of concrete Detroit drums, syncopated chords and Mike Banks killing it with the strings always gives me goosebumps.
Tiki Taane – Tangaroa
Every genre has a foundation song, this is it. What genre is this? Soca? Dub? With Haka and Hoover Bass? Tiki Taane did us all a favour by not making this genre specific – Māori Bass should be its own genre.
Wookie – Battle
Surprise surprise, Wookie is my favourite. Angular break edits, blunt atonal bass, skittish key chords, perfunctory drops, yet somehow retaining an aura of Gospel. So many of his tunes have a serious kaupapa to match the serious basslines.
Coldcut – Timber
It’s hard to pick one Coldcut tune; Dark Lady and Seven Minutes of Madness are just as good. This one is such a powerful example of how sound can be manipulated to create a moving and meaningful kaupapa. The acid breakdown on this is pure genius.
Roy Davis Jr. – Gabriel
Chicago proto-Garage manifesting its Gospel roots. A reminder of the way that a simple electronic tune can take on deeper meaning in the heart of the listener in the heart of a club in the heart of the city.
Prince Alla – Stone
It doesn’t really get much better than Freedom Sounds: Bertram Brown on production, Soul Syndicate on the riddim, recorded at Channel One, with Tubby tearing the whole thing apart. I read the Old Testament just so I could understand Alla’s tunes: good luck intuiting the meaning of ‘Lot’s wife she turn a pillar of salt’.