{"product_id":"marlon-williams-te-whare-tiwekaweka","title":"MARLON WILLIAMS - Te Whare Tīwekaweka","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #ff0000;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLP - Limited Edition White Vinyl. 4th studio album from acclaimed singer-songwriter Marlon Williams, features 14 songs written entirely in Te Reo M?ori.  \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Ko te reo M?ori, he matapihi ki te ao M?ori” goes the M?ori whakatauki (proverb) that has guided Aotearoa singer\/songwriter \u003cstrong\u003eMarlon Williams\u003c\/strong\u003e’(K?i Tahu, Ng?i Tai) fourth solo album, \u003cem\u003eTe Whare T?wekaweka\u003c\/em\u003e. Translated, it means “The M?ori language is a window to the M?ori world” and expresses Marlon’s motivation behind his first te reo M?ori album. “Through the process of constructing these songs,” Marlon says, “I’ve found a means of expressing my joys, sorrows and humour in a way that feels both distinctly new yet also connects me to my t?puna [ancestors] and my whenua [land, home].”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eConnection lies at the heart of \u003cem\u003eTe Whare T?wekaweka\u003c\/em\u003e, the album’s five-year process reconnecting Marlon to family, friends and his home town of Lyttelton after a globe-trotting decade establishing his career. That sense of home-coming is expressed on the cover art by Marlon’s mum, artist \u003cstrong\u003eJennifer Rendall\u003c\/strong\u003e, drawn when she was pregnant with the future singer and which eerily resembles an adult Marlon. The album also signifies another step in Marlon’s journey with his ancestral tongue, his ability in the language developing as the songs accumulated in the hours spent with close friend and co-writer, rapper \u003cstrong\u003eKOMMI\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe language unlocked both a newfound lyrical honesty and a grand sonic vision. Supported by long-time touring band \u003cstrong\u003eThe Yarra Benders\u003c\/strong\u003e, co-producer \u003cstrong\u003eMark Perkins\u003c\/strong\u003e (Te Wh?nau-?-Apanui), the \u003cstrong\u003eHe Waka K?tuia\u003c\/strong\u003e singers and featuring a collaboration with pop star \u003cstrong\u003eLorde\u003c\/strong\u003e, the album traverses Marlon’s familiar folk-country-bluegrass territory, while continuing his exploration of poppier waters and the inherent rhythms of M?ori music. The result is a collection at once contemporary and timeless.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe making of the album was captured in the documentary \u003cem\u003eMarlon Williams: Ng? Ao E Rua - Two Worlds\u003c\/em\u003e directed by \u003cstrong\u003eUrsula Grace\u003c\/strong\u003e. Marlon wanted to share his journey in the hope others might benefit. It’s the same impulse that drives his songwriting. “I hope that music may do the mahi (work) that conversation cannot, and that it may broaden and deepen our sense of interconnectedness,” he says. By expanding his output into M?ori, Marlon has widened the portal through which that connection might happen. \u003cem\u003eTe Whare T?wekaweka\u003c\/em\u003e, he says, has given him “a bigger playground”.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Marlon Williams","offers":[{"title":"LP - White Vinyl","offer_id":54077543448921,"sku":"SDZ-22822","price":39.99,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0588\/3455\/0945\/files\/Marlon_Williams_-_Te_Whare_Tiwekaweka_-_LP_White_Vinyl_-_2025.jpg?v=1737474319","url":"https:\/\/spindizzyrecords.com\/products\/marlon-williams-te-whare-tiwekaweka","provider":"Spindizzy Dublin","version":"1.0","type":"link"}