Piopiotahi
Piopiotahi is an ambient album shaped by time spent walking the Milford Track, a multi-day tramp through the remote landscapes of Aotearoa New Zealand.
Built from gentle textures and field recordings captured along the multi-day tramp, flowing rivers, wind through forest canopies, birds, and human movement form the foundation of the album, with minimal processing used to preserve the natural character of each sound. the music invites the listener into a slow, immersive experience of Milford Sound—where time softens and the land speaks quietly for itself.
Designed for rest and reflection, Piopiotahi invites the listener into a calm, spacious sound world.
Wetlands
Wetlands once covered much of New Zealand, providing important habitat for fish, birds, plants and insects. Wetlands provide unique habitat for threatened plants, birds, and fish, and they also improve water quality and reduce flood risks to nearby communities.
This album features recordings from Te Waihora/Lake Ellesmere and Tuhaitara Coastal Park. Te Waihora is the most important wetland habitat of its type in New Zealand, providing essential habitats for a large range of bird, plant and invertebrate species. Tūhaitara Coastal Park covers approximately 700ha of land along the coastline from the Waimakariri River mouth to the settlement of Waikuku Beach. It covers important wetlands both of local and regional importance.
Waitohi
Come for a journey around Te Waipounamu / South Island of New Zealand. Beginning at the rolling hills of Banks Peninsula, we head inland to the towering mountains of Arthurs Pass for a rest at Binser saddle. Follow us back to stormy Canterbury plains and travel south to set up camp at Waitohi Bush Reserve. Finally we head north to Lewis Pass and the St James Walkway, after a long day hiking we stop to rest by the stream outside Ada hut.
Hinewai
Hinewai reserve is a privately owned ecological restoration project on Banks Peninsula New Zealand. It's primary aim is to foster the natural regeneration of native vegetation and wildlife.
This album was created using field recordings taken in and around the reserve, from the beaches at the bottom of the valley to peaks at the top.
Over the course of a few visits synth lines we recorded at Hinewai in response to the soundscape.
The project will premiere online and at the Tai Tapu Sclupture Garden - a native regeneration project and sculpture garden based near the hills of Banks Peninsula on 5th March 2022.
A peaceful sitting. Travel up and down the valley starting with morning soundscapes flowing through to evening.
Taumauri
Taumauri is a mesh of different sound worlds. The collection of tracks feature fractured field recordings from both sides of the globe, gently gliding between the rains of the UK, Icelandic winds and the call of New Zealand's Tui.
Synths fly throughout creating ambient melodies in response to the dreamy soundscape.
Composed both in NZ and UK during lockdowns 2020.
Venti
The journal Venti is a multidisciplinary publication about the effects and affects of "air".
www.venti-journal.com/all-issues
haast - hāwea's Venti EP was created for the second edition of the journal, "Air Bubbles".
In this EP, haast - hāwea deals with "bubbles" both literally and figuratively. The EP floats through different soundscapes and touches on bubbles in many forms through four delicately rendered tracks.
The field recordings featured in the EP come from both New Zealand and the United Kingdom. Venti highlights issues surrounding noise pollution and air quality in our environments, and includes relevance to the spread of COVID around the world.
The EP download comes accompanied with an art piece by artist Lindsay Vinarcsik.
Tapu
Tapu explores more of the interesting sounds found around central Otago Lakes District. Through gentle audio manipulation and relaxed synth lines it creates a meditative experience inspired by the field recordings it features. This album also features different bird song from around the world.
All thoughts made while out and about. :).
Haast - Hāwea
haast - hāwea's first album. A collection of meditative tracks linked seamlessly by the field recordings that inspired them. Created using field recordings made on and around the various peaks of Central Otago Lakes District in New Zealand.