Polynesian Salt Water Music

A long time ago I got my hands on a CD that became my favorite disc for a while. I had no idea about the artist(s) or their songs, but the music soon became the one I'd listen to constantly. The tracks conjured up images of turquoise waters inside coral atolls, palm trees laden with coconuts, and beautiful people sailing outrigger canoes across the vast ocean. In short, the (stereo)typical South Pacific cliches.

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How I got my hands on the disc is a story of its own: It was about fifteen years ago, back when you needed to seek out a cybercafe just to check your e-mail. I had just arrived in Mexico City, and cheap as I was, I went to one of the computer labs at the university for this purpose. After being there a couple of times, I noticed that the lab admin was listening to the same music, which struck a pleasant chord within me. I asked him to burn me a CD, which he was happy to do. So I had the music, but until the advent of music recognition software I remained clueless about its background.

Famous Kaeli'i Reichel from Hawai'i

Having run the songs through Shazam, I can tell you that almost half of the songs are by Kaeli'i Reichel, a musician whose name I had not been familiar with, but as Wikipedia informs me, is a highly recognized Hawaiian artist, who dedicated his life to preserving the cultural traditions of Hawai'i, from dance to music, and even theater.

My favorite song of his is Hanohano 'O Maui, in which he describes the diverse natural wonders of his home island Maui. For a long time I used to imagine that Maui referred to the Polynesian mythical hero, I wrote about describing two murals I saw depicting his deeds in New Zealand. The accompanying video even shows the actual images of the places Reichel mentions in his song, as well as providing a translation to the words.

Andy Tupaia from Tahiti

Judging from the lack of his own Wikipedia page, I would guess that Andy Tupaia is not as famous as the previous artist. Still, he has his Facebook page, is on Spotify, and Google lists his albums. His music is slower paced, soft, calm, and soothing. This is generally true about the entire disk, which is one of the reasons I got to like it so much. Here in Mexico City, it's the best way to block out the constant hectic stress around one.

O Rapa Nui E by Fenua

Even with the skilled algorithms of Shazam, some of the tracks in that collection remained unknown. I don't really mind, as a little bit of mystery is still appreciated. Occasionally they sound like a campfire, with the crackling noise that indicates a worn vinyl record. Also, some songs are a bit out of place. Though all of them are clearly Polynesian, not every single one has the same mellow sound. One tune that's especially upbeat is O Rapa Nui E. Fortunately, that one could be recognized, so I can give you the link to listen to it for yourselves:

Have you heard of Rapa Nui? It's the native name of Easter Island, which along with Hawai'i and Aotearoa (New Zealand) constitutes one of the corners of the Polynesian triangle. The artist behind this song is Fenua, another Tahitian group, who perform this cheerful song of Easter Island. As much as I enjoy the rest of the calm music, this last track may easily be my favorite one from the whole disc.