Making Tracks

The vibrant South American city of Buenos Aires is the destination for this episode of Making Tracks. And Tiki Taane’s ‘Always On My Mind’ is the Kiwi song getting a Latin American reworking this week. We hear what Tiki’s classic low-fi love song sounds like in the hand of all-acoustic Argentinean surf band, Onda Vaga. While Onda Vaga work on the cover, Nick D dives head-first into Buenos Aires. He rides shotgun with ghetto superstar Pablo Lescano, goes clubbing with rappers Fauna, and commissions a remix of Sola Rosa song ‘Del Ray’ by producer Chancha Via Circuito. And - in his never-ending quest to promote Kiwi music to the world - Nick makes an appearance on one of the biggest local radio shows and gives away classic New Zealand music at the market. Of course, no trip to Buenos Aires would be complete without plenty of Tango, BBQ and dog-walking. The episode wraps up with Tiki’s surprise at the results of Onda Vaga’s version of ‘Always On My Mind’.

This week we visit the war-ravaged city of Beirut, once known as the 'Paris of the Middle East'. Beirut is a fascinating metropolis with a 5000-year history and a thriving music scene, which Nick D explores to the full. This week's New Zealand song getting a Lebanese reworking is 'Brother', the 2009 multi-platinum single from Smashproof and Gin Wigmore. The cover artist is Beirut-based musician and producer Zeid Hamdan. Zeid goes to extreme lengths to craft an epic cover featuring the talents of local rapper RGB, and Mustafa Said - a blind master of an ancient middle-eastern instrument called the Oud. Meanwhile, Nick D gets an education on the history of Beirut hip-hop. He also hangs out with Lebanese music legend Tony Hanna, a 70-something-year-old singer and dancer who performs nightly for packed theatres - but never before 3am. The episode is topped off with the reactions of Smashproof's Tyree and Deach to the Beiruti version of their hit song

London is one of the world's great musical cities, and in this episode we experience its mid-summer glory. We start with legendary musician Damon Albarn of Blur and Gorillaz fame, then progress to exclusive interviews with superstar producer Mark Ronson and rapper Professor Green. In his ongoing quest to promote New Zealand music to the world, Nick also DJs from a London Black Cab and sets up a New Zealand music 'silent disco' at summer music festival 'LoveBox'. As always on Making Tracks, Nick's ongoing mission is to get a great New Zealand song re-recorded in a local style. This week, classic Kiwi love song 'Not Given Lightly' is given the London treatment. Originally written and recorded by Chris Knox, this week it reworked by award-winning London three-piece indie band The Invisible. It's catchy, tear-jerking and totally unmissable all at once

Trinidad can rightfully claim to be one of the most musical places on the planet. The rhythms of the capital city (Port of Spain) evolved from the yearly Carnival, which almost every citizen is involved with in some way. Nestled in the heart of the Caribbean, Trinidad has an ethnically diverse population which has helped spawn a diverse style of music called Soca. While visiting Port of Spain, Nick meets some of the biggest names in the Soca business, many of whom are making it big on the world stage. Trinidad is also the birthplace of the steel pan instrument - and this week's Kiwi cover song is performed by a 30-piece steel pan orchestra called Phase II Pan Groove. We couldn’t think of a better song to give Phase II than Supergroove's classic party anthem 'Can't Get Enough'. We think you’ll agree that the results are something to behold. And, of course, we see what members of Supergroove think of the wacky new version of their song.

Kiev, capital of the Ukraine, is where Nick D heads for this episode of Making Tracks. It's an interesting city, set beside a beautiful river, which the locals use as a focal point for boating, swimming, partying and much more. The Kiwi song covered this week is Concord Dawn's 'Morning Light'. The local band giving it a unique Ukrainian flavour is 'folk-chaos' group Dhaka Brakha. After setting them to task, Nick meets some amazing musicians who have lived through revolution, famine and occupation... and in some cases railed against it with their music. Thankfully, there's a lighter side to Ukrainian life too – usually involving riverside parties, crazy folk bands, and a lot of vodka. The resulting cover version of 'Morning Light' is more than a little surprising, and we see Matty C from Concord Dawn’s reaction to hearing it.

In this episode of Making Tracks, Nick D heads to Tokyo to hear what Steriogram's 'Walkie Talkie Man' sounds like transformed by one of Japan's most exciting live acts 'Soil & Pimp Sessions'. Because 'Walkie Talkie Man' was already a big hit in Japan the band were particularly excited about the project. Nick also takes time out to meet with some of the most legendary musical figures to come out of Japan. First, he chats to the pioneer of Japanese Hip-Hop, DJ Krush. Then he meets some people responsible for composing the biggest video games tunes of all time. Nick is passionate about Japanese people and culture and he gets particularly excited in this episode. Thanks to his understanding of the local language, he makes a few new friends along the way and we come along for the ride. The finale is Stereogram's reaction to a Japanese death-jazz version of their smash hit.

In this episode Nick D heads to Ghana to hear what Holly Smith and Don McGlashan's beautiful ballad 'Bathe In The River' sounds like in the hands of a West African musician. The artist reinterpreting this Kiwi song is a local legend in Ghana - Wanlov The Kubolor. Wanlov's music is part rap, part reggae and all fun. He adapts not only the song, but also the meaning of the song; using it as an opportunity to talk about the state of the rivers in Ghana. While Wanlov puts the finishing touches on 'Bathe In The River', Nick meets a man who some say was the first to rap on a commercial hit: Geydu Blay Ambolley. Nick also meets local music legend Reggie Rockstone, plays some New Zealand music videos on Ghanian national television, and even finds time for some very silly shopping. To conclude the episode, we see what Holly Smith and Don McGlashan think of the Ghanian reworking of their song.

Nick D heads to Paris, to hear what Fat Freddy's Drop song 'Hope' sounds like in the hands of French/Malian superstars Amadou and Mariam. This blind, married musical team are in their fourth decade of making beautiful music together. They have performed at some of the biggest concerts and festivals in the world, and their version of 'Hope' is something nobody should miss. During the episode, Nick visits the infamous 93rd Department of Paris, and finds out there's a lot more it than the rioting and burning of cars that the area is famous for. Nick also manages to take in the sights and sounds of the fashionable Paris sidewalks. He has some Kiwi music adapted by an accordion busker, and then hangs out with uber-cool duo, Jamaica. As always, we get to see what key members of Fat Freddy’s Drop think of Amadou and Mariam's cover version of 'Hope'.