Zealandia

'Zealandia' is the name of our drowned continent, and also my upcoming third album. I'm Dudley Benson, a Dunedin-based composer and performer, and I'm asking you to help me hoist 'Zealandia' up into the light.

The final part of a trilogy that I began in 2008 with my first album The Awakening and continued with 'Forest: Songs by Hirini Melbourne', 'Zealandia' is an identity pop album - twelve anthems that invite us to relate to our land in a new way.

Written over a three-year period, 'Zealandia' is my most ambitious and intricately crafted project, and features my dream-team core cast of symphony orchestra, the fifty-person New Zealand Youth Choir, harp, harpsichord, piano, koto and bagpipes. The land itself collaborates too: through sampled recordings of rocks and minerals found within our continent I've made the album's rhythm section and sonic textures. 

With the support of a 2014 Arts Foundation New Generation Award and grants from Creative New Zealand, the Dunedin City Council, The Asia New Zealand Foundation and Ceres Organics, I've already recorded the orchestra, New Zealand Youth Choir, the beats, and many solo instruments.

You can help us complete 'Zealandia'.

Your koha will get me into the studio to record my vocals, and contribute to the huge amount of post-production work including editing, mixing and mastering the album. It's the last and most precious stage of the project, and I'd be very grateful if you joined me for it.

We've just released the first single and video from the album, 'Muscles'  - it's a reminder of the power that a personal connection with Nature can bring. Enjoy both below!

'Zealandia' is my alternative vision of our future in this place. It's told through a set of songs that I hope could only be ours, and only of this time. I'm so excited and grateful that you can be there with me, and raise the Zealandian flag.

Nga mihi nui!

Dudley

Muscles Video - YouTube

Muscles Digital Download - SoundCloud