Kāwai Sound System is a Māori youth-built system hailing out of Ōtautahi, Aotearoa. The system was built by myself, Tūrāhui Payne, in my pā Koukourarata, about 45 minutes out of town.
This sound system was built for the purpose of unifying through the Māori youth lens. My system was built from glued MDF off-cuts, decommissioned amplifiers, cheap processing units and from having no idea of what I was doing.
It has sparked a beautiful community in Ōtautahi, where hundreds if not thousands have flocked over the six months since inception. They now call Kāwai a part of their own lives.
The word Kāwai translates to a ‘branch’ or ‘off shoot’. For me this word resonates, as I see this sound system as a branch of cultures and communities that have existed beyond us – Māori, sound system, Christchurch and Aotearoa as a whole.
Kāwai was made to bring the youth together and to turn a page of positivity into the next generation. Kāwai forever!
Barry Brown – Let’s Go to the Blues (LP)
Where to even start with this record? I first heard “Trying Youthman” watching a Kebra Ethiopia Boiler Room session while I was making clothes in my pā. The song was so unbelievably catchy and I remember seeing people on screen dancing in sync and smiles all around.
Women, children, men, elders, young adults, parents, all skanking out together in a neighbourhood street. Watching this I was like ,“Yeah, this is what I want Kāwai to be one day.” Bear in mind, I hadn’t even built a single box for my system yet, but that’s what struck the vision.
I discovered the rest of Barry Brown’s music through this album as I built my rig and I think if there was ever a way to answer what a Kāwai session sounds like, a good chunk of it is this album. The title track “Let’s Go to the Blues” is a close second favourite. I think I’ll play it at my wedding one day. Love Barry Brown!
Small Axe – Love Attack (7”)
Pacific roots! This 7” is real important to me because this is like my calling card out to the Nesians who have grown up in reggae but never experienced sound system.
I see this as my translator for people like my mum, cuzzies or my bros who didn’t really understand what these big stacks of speakers meant but just showed up to support. Soon as I put this on, they got it straight away. The reactions are priceless every time! Love to the cuzzies in Hawai’i.
Barrington Levy – Poor Man Style (LP)
Outside of Bob Marley, this record is responsible for a massive chunk of reggae discovery for me. I remember playing “True Love” outside on Cathedral Square for Kāwai’s first public outing and all these people kept bopping and skanking as they walked past.
The cops rolled past in their car, rolled down the window and said nothing but just bopped their heads and went on. It was so crack up. You can never go wrong with this record.
Freddie McGregor – Big Ship (LP)
This was a foundation record for me while I was discovering sound system. “Big Ship” and “Holy Mount Zion” were tracks I played all the time to test my cabinets when I first built them.
There’s just something about the sound of this record overall that takes me back home every time. It’s so kicked back yet beautifully paced and melodic. It’s one of those albums you can leave running all day and not get sick of it.
Bob Marley – Exodus (LP)
This is where reggae started for me. My mum used to play this album all the time when I was a kid. I used to hear it at the marae all the time. Songs like “Jamming” and “Waiting in Vain” always make me a bit emotional when I play them at sessions.
It reminds me of the whānau that aren’t with us anymore that I used to listen to these songs with. I think of my grandmother and my cuzzies. Every time I play the title tune on my system, I feel them skanking out somewhere in the crowd.
My mum is normally on the door at my sessions. I always get my little brother to swap with her every time this comes on so she can stand closer to the rig and hear it.
I grew up in the Waikato where we’d peel spuds, play bull rush on the marae ātea and wash dishes to this album. I bring those memories with me every time this record comes on at a session.
Sister Nancy – One Two (LP)
I, like a lot of young ones only knew Sister Nancy for “Bam Bam”, mainly through Kanye. But one time I accidentally played the first track of this album on Spotify and just couldn’t pause the rest. It’s so gangster. “Only Woman Deejay with Degree” is my favourite tune by far.
I haven’t had an opportunity to play this on my system yet but I can’t wait. For me this record just screams swag, you know. Aunty just straight rips it on the mic so effortlessly on the whole record and you have no option but to skank it out. So mean.
Sizzla – Black Woman and Child (LP)
I’d say Sizzla was the first reggae artist I found on my own. I heard “Good Ways” first and it was the first song I played when I built my first speaker.
It was a Cubo Kick 15. I was playing it full range into the cabinet and it sounded like trash but I remember dancing to this song blasting through a kick bin and a cheap Chinese amp for 30 minutes alone in my taua’s garage.
From there I found this record and it’s been a staple in every session. “Guide Over Us” is the big tune for me. I’m skanking out right now listening to it as I write this.
Horace Andy – Natty Dread a Weh She Want (LP)
This was the first expensive, well known record I brought. It was $40 from Penny Lane and I remember thinking “Damn, this record is expensive as” haha. I’ll be honest, I only bought it because of the main song, as I didn’t have any recognisable songs in my grand collection of ten $5 records from op shops at the time.
Little did I know I was about to be introduced to what are now two of my favourite songs of all time. “Jah Rainbow” and “Freedom” are on rotation at every session. The rest of the album is amazing as well.
Dennis Brown – Sitting and Watching
It’s so crack up as I don’t actually have this record, but I’ll make the effort to play it digitally until I do get it.
This is my ‘lock in’ track when I’m in deep work. It could be designing posters or pressing t-shirts, this song is always playing. The hook just reminds me to relax any time I get too stressed about anything.
Aba-Ariginal featuring Patrixx Matic – Aba Ariginals
Okay so this track is probably the most important on this list. Kāwai would not exist without this tune right here. You have to warch the Aba Shanti-I Boiler Room set at Somerset House London. Aba plays this track and then Blood Shanti, “World Cry” (or the other way around) and the crowd goes ballistic.
I was doing something in the lounge when this came on. Right in the moment Aba Shanti-I dropped that needle and played this, I was like “I am building a sound system”. I had never heard music like this in my life.
The soul and growl from those horns on top of such a hard-hitting foundational beat. There is genuinely nothing in the world that comes close to this song.
I love love love jazz and soul since I was a kid. I learnt how to play drums as a child to jazz and soul. I had no idea you were allowed to be so skux and gangster on the horns like Aba-Ariginal is on this tune. I had no idea you could infuse jazz and soul into reggae like this.
This tune introduced me to steppers, even though it’s not as heavy as most steppers these days. But I’ll die on this hill that there is no song that comes close to this tune anywhere in the world.
I actually don’t even have this song on vinyl haha. I recently bought the two albums Aba-Ariginals made and this song wasn’t on it. I was disappointed but those two albums still slap hard and I can’t wait to play them at my next session.
