PHOTO: MIRANDA BELLAM | We’ve got something pretty special for you today, something hard to pigeonhole, but we’re gonna try. New Zealand native Dudley Benson has just shared the extraordinary new video for his single “Mataraki” and its a must watch.
The word mataraki comes from New Zealand and it describes the time of year when the Pleiades constellation appears in the midwinter sky, in essence the Maori New Year. This relates to the Maori custom of tikanga, which tells that the people we’ve lost are still with us through the natural world. The video itself is a brilliant piece of animated work from Tokyo-based New Zealand illustrator Emile Holmewood.
We see Dudley himself in an array of fun cartoon-styled situations, representing a passage through time as he makes his way from creation to destruction to millennia. The song itself is a wonderfully weird slice of avant-pop that fans of the likes of Bjork and Brian Eno will certainly feel at home with. Totaling 6 minutes, “Mataraki” feels more like a short film than a music video at times, but perhaps that’s the point.
Dudley Benson’s musical style is undeniably unique and perhaps not everyone’s cup of tea. Nonetheless, its visually stunning and a conversation starter if nothing more. We can’t wait to see what he comes up with next.
“Mataraki” is taken from Dudley’s latest album Zealandia, which is due for Eurpoean release on 23rd August 2019 via Golden Retriever Records.
