close button

Dudley Benson: Deforestation - review

Dec 18, 2014 Music

a1679265523_10Dudley Benson
Deforestation (Golden Retriever)

Get your head around this: Deforestation is a kind of remix of a remix. In 2010, the former Christchurch choirboy released Forest : Songs by Hirini Melbourne, which liberally reinterpreted the work of the great Maori historian/musicologist. Now, there’s Deforestation, on which various artists remix the tracks from that album, all for a good cause: profits go the Ulva Island Charitable Trust.

It makes for compelling, and frequently enchanting listening, combining native bird song with electronic insect chatter, infrequent Te Reo vocalisations, a reading by Dame Anne Salmond, dark ambience and even the lovely, sad vocals of English folkstress Vashti Bunyan.

Several heavyweights of the international electronic scene add their genes to the talent pool, including the acclaimed San Francisco group Matmos and Berlin’s Barbara Morgenstern.

Although results vary across the nine tracks, overall it’s a project that captures something of Aotearoa’s sonic topography that few others have even tried to tap into.

 

Latest

Metro N°447 is Out Now shadow

Metro N°447 is Out Now

In the Winter 2025 issue of Metro: Our Annual Schools Report Card for Tāmaki Makaurau, plus sage advice on choosing a school, how to meet the unspoken dress code, and a peek behind the curtains of Kelston Boys Samoa Group’s efforts at Polyfest 2025. PLUS: Metro’s Top 50 Baked goods in Auckland, choice tips on how to lose all your money quickly and easily with your smartphone, a deep dive with a soft landing on puffer jackets, the restoration efforts of the SS Toroa, the sweet taste of history and more!

Buy the latest issue