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Loop are proud to present Kono 003, a compilation with a core focus of celebrating the use of Te Reo Māori in waiata and everyday life. This third edition in the Kono series brings a focus on translating some much-loved waiata into Te Reo Māori.

With previous versions released as part of the Loop Select series, this new installment Kono 003 features appearances from artists including Anna Coddington, Ria Hall, Katchafire, Louis Baker,The Nudge & Troy Kingi. This collection, released in conjunction with Waiata Athems, features new life given to a number of tracks presented in Te Reo for the first time.

The compilation begins with Anna Coddington & Louis Baker performing their collaboration ‘Aho / Beams’ in Te Reo. Originally featured on Coddington’s Taite Music Prize-finalist album Beams, the track represents the first taste of an upcoming Te Reo Māori EP from Coddington. Troy Kingi marks his first appearance with ‘Te Wai Nō Rua Whetū’, a new imagining of ‘Aztechknowledgey’ from the album Shake That Skinny Ass All The Way To Zygertron. 

One of the strongest voices in NZ music, Ria Hall’s ‘Rangatira / Owner’ is a new version from her 2020 album Manawa Wera, a release steeped in the sound of Aotearoa roots/reggae music. This track is complimented by Aotearoa legends Katchafire with the Te Reo version of their track ‘Karawhiua / 100’. The release finishes with the psychedelic/blues jam ‘He Ōrite’, an original reo collaboration from Troy Kingi & Pōneke’s The Nudge. 

“A basket to carry or to hold” is one of the meanings Kono carries, alongside being the Te Reo Māori translation of Loop. For a third time, this basket is carrying waiata from some of Aotearoa’s finest artists who are dedicated to amplifying Te Reo Māori. 

Created with the support of APRA, Creative NZ, Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori & Te Māngai Pāho, this compilation celebrates not only the diversity and beauty of Te Reo Māori, but also a range of artists who are helping to push Reo through waiata. Kono 003 is out now digitally, with vinyl to come late-2021.