Tiki - Past Present Future [album]

Brought to light again thanks to his recent New Zealand Music award win for Best Aotearoa Roots Album, Tiki Taane’s late 2007 release, Past Present Future, is well deserving of the award and the constant praise. The former front man of New Zealand reggae roots group Salmonella Dub offers his first solo album as a bold, emotional and cultural recording showcasing his undeniable talent as a lyricist, musician and producer.

The opening track, An Awakening, performed by his father, sets the initial tone for the impending, giving a sense of somber reflection from a man whose heritage and respect for the same pours out from the very first note.

Tangaroa, the first single nationally released from the album, looms in with a haka-like chant forged with a powerful beat to form some sort of tribal dance fight song. These chants can be heard throughout the album, bringing with them a sense of power and presence.

The title track to the album, and my personal favourite, has an almost haunting recording of Tiki’s (now passed) grandmother taken from the 70’s with perfectly timed excerpts of a Maori haka fitting in, combined with a mix of acoustic guitar and string section placed overtop. The result is not only intense to listen to, but in some odd way, feels like homage to times past.

The entire album sounds brutally honest and effortless encompassing dub, hip hop, rock, drum n bass, jungle, dance and reggae all in 13 unrelenting tracks.
I’m still confused as to how an album with that much diversity can possibly flow, but I’ve stopped trying to decipher it and take it for what it is. Which I feel is exactly how he intended it.