Amplifier

I don't know Tiki, but if I did I'd call him up and say "bro…OMFG… you've nailed it". I'm going to try to avoid clichés in this review; I'm going to be honest because that is what 'Past, Present, and Future' deserves. Let me state from the get go, you wont find any negative words in this review, because this is the album of the year, it's a finely crafted piece of art and I don't care if you disagree.
         
I heard "Tangaroa" the first single from the album in September. I didn't know who'd made it, but it grabbed my eardrum and shook be by my emotions until I was convinced that something magic had just happened. Then I found out it was Tiki and that it was the harbinger of his first solo album. It promised big things, and 'Past, Present, and Future' has truly delivered on that promise. On the album you'll find huge dub tunes, hip hop, drum n bass, strains of metal, sonorous male and female vocals, and notably a healthy dose of Maoritanga. There is acoustic guitar based reggae, a string quartet, some production from P-Money, some rhymes from P-Digsss, and appearances from Tiki's father Uekaha Taanetinorau and grandmother Inuwai. Tiki sums it up by calling it "punk dub meets tangatawhenua".
     
Some artists excel themselves in their speciality by taking their natural talent and by working their arses off in one area. Tiki claims on 'Past, Present, and Future' to be a jack of all trades – master of none, but somehow he has done what very few ever manage, he has proven beyond a shade of doubt that he is an expert in a broad range of disciplines. The guy is a pro, if there was ever any question about it; Tiki has graduated from journeyman to master of his trade. He is a lyricist, a guitarist, and percussionist, he plays keys, he works a sound desk with flair and he can crank out more awesome tracks to the tonne than most producers can reasonably expect achieve. I've tried to avoid clichés in my writing and to break new ground, and I've probably failed, but Tiki's 'Past, Present, and Future' most certainly didn't fail. It's new, its life affirming, and most importantly it's really, really good. In Tiki's own words "this is it, my turn to bring the new shit."
  
Thanks Tiki, keep it up bro.
     
Jamie Larnach