Wai 100%: Something Old, Something New

Wai 100% nominated in Asia/Pacific and Innovator categories of the BBC’s World Music Awards. Singer Mina Ripia and producer Maaka McGregor have created a sound described as a “startlingly original combination of the ancient and the modern,” blending elements of hip-hop and reggae with beats sampled from breathing, body slaps and poi. Their eponymous debut album is one of the first ever international releases to be sung entirely in Te Reo Maori. (2002)