Former Salmonella Dub frontman Tiki Taane takes dub to a new level of sophistication whilst making a strong cultural statement. His debut album is a collaborative effort featuring a variety of musos; songwriters and vocalists with Tiki playing a part in each song. Opening with a haunting spoken word M?ori welcome, the pace steps up to a wicked mix that combines the haka with tribal rhythms. There are cool beats aplenty, especially in Now This Is It, which are sure to set hips gyrating in sync. The ladies make a splash with smooth female vocals, particularly Julia Deans from Fur Patrol in Our Favourite Target. The CD contains two versions of Always on My Mind which was a huge hit in the Land of the Long White Cloud. The title track Past, Present, Future celebrates the M?ori tradition of recording history through song, mixing strings and haka cries with the taped voice of his late grandmother. An album of great depth and beauty.
