The Mixtape

Tigilau Ness is a musician, political activist, Polynesian Panther, and father to Che Fu. His life journey is incredibly interesting, from working with the Polynesian Panthers to spending nine months in prison for rioting during the 1981 Springbok Tour. He joins Charlotte for an open and honest conversation about life, politics and of course picks some of his favourite songs on this episode of The Mixtape.

This week we're celebrating the best of The Mixtape in 2020. We've chosen some of our favorite song choices and discussions. Over the next hour, you'll hear from musicians Benee, Bic Runga, Lawrence Arabia, writer Witi Ihimaera and comedian Tim Batt pick one of their favourite songs and talk openly and honestly about how music has effected their lives.

Fran Kora is originally from Whakatane. He's contributed a lot to NZ music, as a founding member of KORA and now Modern Maori Quartet. KORA, which stars the four musical brothers of the Kora family began playing together as a band in the early 1990s. Fran joins Charlotte for an honest and casual chat about life, his musical journey so far, and picks 6 of his favourite tunes on this episode of The Mixtape.

Wellington musician Darren Watson has always had a passion for the blues. He's been committed to his craft for over 30 years, playing in a variety of bands including Smokeshop in the late 80s and eventually going solo. His solo back catalog of seven albums are a respectable endorsement of his personal motivation and growing skills as a songwriter.

Antonia Prebble is one of New Zealand's most successful actresses. Starting her career aged just 12, she's gone on to star in a multitude of iconic kiwi tv shows like Outrageous Fortune, and Westside. Although she's immediately recognizable in New Zealand, she's known internationally for her role in Power Rangers: Mystic Force. A new mum, Antonia has settled in Auckland with her husband and Westside co-star Dan Musgrove. As an actress, Antonia has spent more time in a makeup chair than most. That leaves a lot of time to listen to great music! She joins Charlotte Ryan for an honest conversation about motherhood, what life looks like now that Westside is over, as well as choosing songs that represent pivotal moments in her life. Songs played on this episode of The Mixtape: Alanis Morrisette - Ironic Counting Crows - Colourblind Fly My Pretties - Singing in My Soul Wild at heart - Electric Feel The National - I Need My Girl Anika Moa - Marigold

Carter began playing music as a teenager at Kaikorai Valley High School and he's been a member of the bands Bored Games, The Doublehappys, Straitjacket Fits and Dimmer. The New Zealand music icon can also add multi-award-winning author to his life story. His no-hold-barred memoir Dead People I Have Known won the E.H. McCormick Prize for best first work of General Non-Fiction and he also won the Ockham New Zealand Book Awards General Non-Fiction Award earlier this year.

Chlöe Swarbrick has had quite the rise to prominence in New Zealand politics over the last few years. Her public life began when she famously ran for mayor of Auckland in 2016. After losing to Phil Goff, she became a parliamentary candidate for the Green Party, standing in the 2017 general election.

Kiwi/British musician Finn Andrews is primarily known as the lead singer and songwriter for London based indie/alternative band The Veils. The band has released 5 studio albums and last year saw Finn step out on his own and release his highly anticipated solo album One Piece at A Time.

John Minty has had an interesting life. At one stage, he was a member of the PIG Patrol, a group who monitored police convoys for the Polynesian Panthers. He started the first Polynesian newspaper, is involved in business publishing and is now the music director of Splore.

Julia Deans is one of Aotearoa's most beloved musicians. The Cantabrian started her career in the early 90s with Celtic band Banshee Reel, then went on to form highly successful rock band Fur Patrol.

Presenter, comedian, and writer Robbie Nicol is best known for his youtube (and later TVNZ) show White Man Behind a Desk. Combining his love of comedy and politics, Robbie also turned White Man Behind a Desk into a travelling stage show, which earned him an award for Best Newcomer from Wellington at the 2017 NZ International Comedy Festival. This year, he's pivoted in a new direction.

Wellington musician and Phoenix Foundation favourite, Luke Buda is this weeks guest on The Mixtape. The Phoenix Foundation have been playing together for more than 20 years. The band have won many music awards including Best Album multiple times and Best Group multiple times. That's no small feat.

Andre Upston has been recording live music since he was a boy, and has continued to do so his whole life. He's made albums with Bic Runga, Anika Moa, Dudley Benson, and more, and is RNZ's longtime Music Engineer. For this week's Mixtape, Andre joined Tony Stamp to share seven favourite songs from his catalogue of recordings.

Alice Snedden is a woman of many talents. She's a Billy T nominated comedian, podcast host, playwright, columnist ,trained lawyer and host of Alice Snedden's Bad News, a docu-comedy series that wrestles with some of the most confusing political and social issues confronting Aotearoa in 2020.

Celebrity chef, restaurateur and author Al Brown joins Charlotte Ryan to select songs and share stories on the RNZ Music Mixtape.