The Mamaku Project

The Mamaku Project weave French bohemian roots, Pacifica dub, and scents of the middle-east into a captivating musical concoction.

Co-founders Tui Mamaki & Monsieur Escargot gather around them a fine selection of NZ talent to bring their compositions to life.

Born in France in 1980 into a bilingual family of troubadours, Tui Mamaki was raised in Northland and the Pays Basque in the South of France. She has trained intensively in visual and performer arts, travelling through India, Morocco, Asia and Europe while following her musical/performance inspirations. Tui has worked as a singer, fire-dancer, director, actor, storyteller, session vocalist and voice/movement coach.

Musician, composer, producer and instrumentalist (bass guitar, double bass, percussions, keyboards, guitar, voice and electronics) Monsieur Escargot arrived in New Zealand from Paris in 2000. In 2004 he returned to France and performed with Tui Mamaki at the Errobiko Festival of Itxasssou. This was the igniting spark for The Mamaku Project. Aside from musical performances, he has composed and performed improvised music for dance choreographers, live comedians and multi-media artists.

“Conjures up a nomadic past… exotic scales and jazzy improvisations are interwoven with familiar images of sand and sea in an impressive fusion, highlighted by Mamaki’s powerful, microtonal vocals.” - Nick Bollinger