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The music of
Te Vaka, written by Opetaia Foa'i is traditionally influenced -
tribal, powerful and rootsy yet melodic, warm, earthy and
atmospheric.
The log drums (or Pate in his native language) are an
important part of the sound, capturing the infectious
rhythms of the South Seas and creating a Pacific groove.
Opetaia has a very deep and passionate involvement with
the Islands of the South Pacific. He writes songs that tell the story of Polynesia,
from the original pioneers who traveled across the
largest ocean on the planet with a simple canoe (vaka) to
the current destruction of many of the smaller Pacific
Islands such as Tokelau and Tuvalu due to the effects of
Global warming.
The songs are mostly in the language of Tokelau, an
original dialect of old Polynesia, but in the later albums there are
songs in Samoan and Tuvaluan also.. This serves as a means
of keeping the language alive as well as imparting, to
the music, the rich colour and rhythm of the language
itself.
The listener is offered something new and unique, the
barriers of age and culture are broken down on a journey
through Polynesia that reaches into the heart of us all.
 The band's first album, ''Te
Vaka" which means "The Canoe" has been
described as "a stereotype smashing glimpse into the true soul of the
South Seas. It does away with the preconceptions that Pacific music is
about Ukuleles and
Palm trees. Te Vaka music is an inspired combination of
forceful rhythms,
inspired melodies, and heartfelt songwriting.
Read reviews &
Listen
 Te Vaka's
second
album "Ki mua", is dedicated to the original
pioneers - the Polynesian fleet 'Kau tufuga fai vaka',
forebearers and ancestors to all Polynesian cultures in
the Pacific. This music will make you want to dance with it's powerful,
tribal, rootsy feel. It is melodious and relaxing yet earthy and
atmospheric.
Read reviews &
Listen
 The
third Te Vaka album, "Nukukehe" is dedicated to Greenpeace and all
the other environmental groups around the world caring
enough to do something about it."My journey to Samoa, Tokelau and Tuvalu in 2001 and
2002 brought much inspiration for the writing of this
album. It was a time of great happiness and celebration
but it was also tinged with sadness. Seeing for myself
the effects of climate change, brought home to me the
reality that these islands with their unique and
individual cultures, will not endure if something isn't
done to reverse this trend in the very near future.It is real to me now, that we all need to do something,
no matter how small, to help.Despite all this - to visit the place where I was born,
and visit both my Mother and Father's Islands, has been a
source of great inspiration for me. I was amazed to see
that the houses in my village were still the same -
thatched roof, no walls, one room fits all.
Happy childhood memories came flooding back. I
experienced the people, the music, the dance, the awesome
hospitality and I left there hoping that all this will
always be there."
Read reviews & Listen
 The
fourth Te Vaka album, "Tukutuki" won "Best
Pacific Music Album. The first Track "Samulai" won second place in the
World music category of the USA international songwriting competition.
This album has been described as "Traditional but not too provincial,
funky but not too Western, polished but not too slick". In this one
Opetaia takes up subjects of concern in the South Pacific such as
over-fishing and AIDS but balances it well with inspired tracks about
the positive aspects of Pacific life. Again, the
band's
stunning blend of original, traditionally influenced Polynesian music
has infected people all over the world with it's infectious
pulsating log drum rhythms and uplifting melodies.
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Listen
 The
fifth Te Vaka album,
just released, entered the European World Music Chart at no. 4 and has
received great reviews.
This one is a very environmentally aware and almost spiritual album.
Opetaia's message in the inside frontcover is as follows:
I was very honoured to have been invited to
perform in three of the biggest venues in Polynesia in 2005 : the
Waikiki shell in
Hawaii,
Apia
Park in Samoa and
Tahiti’s Toata Stadium. It was the
reasons why we were invited that was most satisfying.To experience first
hand each of the
Island’s concerns and to be there
supporting was most humbling. Whether it was the Hawaiian’s concern for
their land with the US of A, Tahiti’s desire for self-rule from
France or
Samoa defending their land from the
might of the Asian Banks, it is clear that there exists an awareness to
preserve our endangered cultures before they are replaced or lost. These
are exciting times but to succeed we need a few more of these strong
ethical leaders to protect and preserve our cultures from these natural
and not so natural forces. It is to these leaders that I dedicate this
album.
Read
reviews & Listen
Find out more about the songwriter
Purchase a Te Vaka CD online via our secure server (or using the print
and fax form)
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