Sunreturn

Bananamelia Session Breakdowns - YouTube Amamelia walks you through the production process of her album Bananamelia. Part of the Bananamelia archiving project conducted with the New Zealand National...

All the Bananamelia session breakdowns I made as part of the archiving project with @jingajik.bsky.social are now in a handy youtube playlist for easy binging!

See how I made things! Discover my influences! Find out why i don't have a drivers licence!

m.youtube.com/playlist?lis...

This is super interesting. We’re already in an era where generative AI makes unsophisticated audiences and bad-faith actors expect art without labour. We can’t risk undermining contemporary and future accounts of the history we’re making now by maintaining unsophisticated collecting. #FACT2026

On the NZ Library website, you can hear all my drafts, including my mumbling and commentary, says Amelia. If we don’t resolve how to collect at these stages, says Michael, we’ll have a huge gap in understanding how sound composition was created digitally in our era. #FACT2026

Welcome Michael and Amelia! Let’s look at how the National Library of NZ preserved Bananamelia! In brief: it’s complicated. While analog multi-track retains multiple artefacts, digital sound production overwrites its edits, and proprietary plug-ins etc. don’t necessary allow exports/saves #FACT2026

yeah they rule!

Pugs and Dilly review Laneway! P: When the Laneway ’26 lineup dropped, I was surprised to be familiar with more of the names than ever before. I thought I might’ve&nb

"that taonga pūoro was whistling over basslines thicker than a Snickers" - Hauraki review MOKOTRON's set at Laneway

www.hauraki.co.nz/latest-news/...

Kiwi Talent Stole the Show at Laneway Auckland Laneway 2026 had its fair share of highlights, but it was Kiwi artists, like Womb, MOKOTRON, and BENEE, who truly stole the spotlight.

“Sub-woofing breakbeats reverberated through the main-stage speakers, submerging spectators in a subliminal, yet political, spirit,” - Rolling Stone on MOKOTRON's Laneway Performance

au.rollingstone.com/music/music-...

🎤 The number of New Zealanders who speak te reo Māori grew 15% from 2018 to 2023 – and the nation’s artists are reflecting this.

👉 Read the full story: theconversation.com/5-new-z...

YouTube video by NationalLibraryNZ Bananamelia the music archive — Marble run — session breakdown

For a taster of what's in the new @amamelia.bsky.social archive at @nationallibrarynz.bsky.social, check out this Session Breakdown of "Marble Run", the opening track off 'Bananamelia!'

Amelia covers sound fonts, the Akai S950, the "Soul Pride" breakbeat, and more!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=rosh...

sunreturn.bandcamp.com

"The end of set saw him decry 'Indigenous people should always be performing on indigenous land'; MOKOTRON's presence was a vital force in the midst of the international line up." Read Sofía Kent's full breview at 95bFM.com

🔗 95bfm.com/news/breview...

📷 Milad Asadi

"Grabbing the mic one last time, MOKOTRON closed his set by reminding us, “Indigenous people should always be playing on Indigenous land.” Read the full review of MOKOTRON's Laneway set at by RS AU/NZ.

au.rollingstone.com/music/music-...

She was everything. Chappell Roan sent a bedazzled, glitter-flecked Laneway into the stratosphere.

"Mokotron, who gave Laneway the kind of opening bass wallop you used to get early on in the Boiler Room (heh) at the Big Day Out." Chris Shulz from Boiler Room

boilerroom.substack.com/p/she-was-ev...

Stellar day at Laneway Most surely went away from Laneway 2026 having life affirmed after a lightly fruity, fizzing day in the sun with their pals.

"The dub beats of Mokotron immediately made one chill" Mokotron reviewed by the ODT

🔗 www.odt.co.nz/lifestyle/st...

"I dashed to catch the end of Mokotron, playing indigenous bass music in a big field. It’s a really singular product – ancient instruments and te reo rap drenched in dread, melded with this popping drum ‘n’ bass."

Read Duncan Grieve's review of MOKOTRON's set at @thespinoff.bsky.social

👀

CC: @audioculturenz.bsky.social @opdiner.com @audio-foundation.bsky.social @tvdisko.bsky.social @iaspmofficial.bsky.social @samanthabennett.bsky.social @jtseay67.bsky.social

Reupping this for later timezones & those interested in #NZmusic #breakbeats #electronica #digipres #musicarchives #DAWpreservation #creativecommons

Such an honour to have my album chosen for preservation like this! Download my stems! Scope my screenshots! Watch 10 half hour videos of me talking thru how I made every track! 🌈💧🍌 @sunreturn.bsky.social

Laneway latest: Mokotron had Taonga Pūoro, Oklou has someone with a triangle

Mokotron - WAERA

Mokotron kicking off Laneway with some serious bass heavy stuff

Thanks to @amamelia.bsky.social for taking this #digipres project on, and to many colleagues at @nationallibrarynz.bsky.social who helped make it happen, plus support from Heard&Seen and @sunreturn.bsky.social. See the blog full acknowledgements!

'Marble Run’ MIDI piano part shown in online Signal MIDI editor. Ref: MSDL-6035 Alexander Turnbull Library.

It's such a rich collection, whether for deep research, learning how to make breakbeats-synth music, or trying out some samples.

It's all open access online to peruse, with remix resources available under a #CreativeCommons BY-NC-SA license.

natlib.govt.nz/records/6114...

Amamelia with Jen Synthetone SX1000 synthesizer. Photo: Karin Yamasaki

Excited to launch a new music collection for NLNZ today: a digital trove relating to Amamelia's 2022 electronica LP "Bananamelia!"

The blog 👇 tells the story... session breakdowns, stems & MIDI to download, and more! @amamelia.bsky.social @sunreturn.bsky.social

natlib.govt.nz/blog/posts/b...

Back cover of the 2022 LP Bananamelia, by Amamelia

Keep 👀 out tomorrow for some #digipres music news concerning this NZ Electronica 💎 from @amamelia.bsky.social & @nationallibrarynz.bsky.social - looking forward to this!

👀🤔 february shaping up to be a huge month for Amamaniacs @sunreturn.bsky.social

Reminder to all NZ musicians who released an album in 2025 that you have about 4.5 hour left to nominate yourself for the TAITE MUSIC PRIZE. You probably won't win, but you will get reviewed in The Spinoff when I do my annual thing of listening to the entire list. Do it. Do it now.

Zac Arnold on Sunreturn's free music festival A free music festival? Seems unlikely, but Zac is putting one on next Saturday 31st, featuring a lineup of Sunreturn all-stars including MOKOTRON, Alphabethead, Babe Martin, Power Nap and more.

Massive thanks to Kara & @tonylstamp.bsky.social for having my on Music 101 🌞

www.rnz.co.nz/national/pro...

Set times for Saturday have dropped ⏰

Bethells Beach Cafe will have you covered with food & drinks. Make sure you're prepared for sun & sea!

This event is free but we would love it if you could show support by contributing funds via @undertheradarnz.bsky.social