Rhythm Nation Summer Beats - Mai FM 88.6 and Coke

PANUI PAPAHO / MEDIA STATEMENT
Te 19 o nga ra o Kohi-tatea 2004

KI A:

Mai FM 88.6 and Coke presents:

'RHYTHM NATION SUMMER BEATS'

Auckland Anniversary Day, January 26

Okaahu Bay, Auckland

A free outdoor concert on Auckland Anniversary Day will feature New Zealand's best hip hop, R'n'B and reggae bands alongside the winners of a talent search competition.

'Rhythm Nation Summer Beats' will be presented by top Auckland station Mai FM 88.6 and Coke at Okaahu Bay from midday this Monday, January 26.

Headline acts include Mareko, Deceptikonz, Adeaze, Katchafire and Player Park as well as five winners of Coke Rhythm Nation 2003:

- QUE, Polynesian five-piece male R'n'B singers and songwriters from Christchurch;

- NIKI AHU, an Auckland-based Maori woman singer, songwriter and performer;

- KELZ (aka Kelly-Anne Peihopa), a Maori woman R'n'B vocalist from Paeroa;

- FLOW ON SHOW, an all-Maori rap trio from Mount Maunganui;

- and EERYT (pronounced E-Write), a Niuean school leaver from Papatoetoe in South Auckland.

Mai Music head Victor Stent says a total of 10 new unsigned acts stepped inside Mai Studios over the past 10 months, part of an ambitious talent search run by Mai FM 88.6 every month to foster local talent by giving them the chance to professionally record one of their own, original songs.

Top engineer/mixer Chris Macro (Dubious Bros, Katchafire) handled all the tracking, mixing and mastering, and also mentored each act in the songwriting and construction process, adding additional beats and arrangements where necessary.

Of the 10 winning acts, six are Maori, three are Polynesian and one is Arabian/Kiwi.

"The end results speak for themselves - 10 bright new talents, 10 terrific original songs, more young Maori and Polynesians showing their skills," Victor Stent says.

"And all of these songs ended up on radio - which is more than many much more established acts achieve on their first releases."

ENDS

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