Ta-ku
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Regan Mathews, better known by his stage name Ta-ku, is an Australian musician, producer and photographer.
Life and career
Mathews was born and raised in the Australian city of Perth. He is half-Filipino, half-Māori. Mathews attended high school at John Curtin High School. Before he decided to focus on music, Mathews held a sales job at Medibank for five years. Mathews' stage name "Ta-ku" is a nod to his Māori heritage.
In 2008, an invite to the prestigious Red Bull Music Academy in Barcelona, taking counsel from the likes of DJ Toomp, Chuck D, Bun B, Omas Keith and Dennis Coffey. The trip was a breakthrough moment for Ta-ku as he channeled his experience and new found motivation to liberate a slew of free beat tapes within months of his return. Shortly after flooding the internet with a diverse array of releases, his output was rewarded with subsequent collaborations involving CyHi Da Prynce (G.O.O.D music), John Robinson, Raashan Ahmad (Paper Chain labelmate), Joe Scudda, Outasight, Kid Daytona, Phil Ade, Raaka (Dilated Peoples) amongst many others.
Ta-ku's album Songs to Break Up To was released 8 October 2013. It peaked at No. 18 of the ARIA Album Chart.
Ta-ku has featured on Boiler Room and toured around Australia as part of Listen Out festival in 2014. In May 2015, Ta-ku was a Youth Speaker at TEDxSydney.
Ta-ku made his U.S. live debut at New York's MoMA PS1 in October 2015.
In 2016, Ta-ku collaborated with singer songwriter Wafia to create the album (m)edian.
Mathews was previously a co-owner of Weston's Barbershop in Northbridge and the fashion brand Team Cozy.
In 2018, Mathews started a creative agency called Pretty Soon with friend Ben Wright. Pretty Soon has done work for Red Bull, Puma, Nike, G-Star and Apple.
From 11 February–6 March 2022, Ta-ku's Songs to Experience ran as part of the Perth Festival. The immersive music installation was a reflection of his forthcoming album of the same name.
On 9 June 2023, Ta-ku announced on his Instagram new album Songs to Come Home To, with executive producer Matt McWaters, scheduled for 25 August 2023.
Discography
Studio albums
| Title | Details | Peak positions |
|---|---|---|
| AUS | ||
| Different Spaces | Released: 2009 Label: Paper Chain (PCPCD002) Format: CD | - |
| Tribute: Dilla | Released: 26 September 2010 Label: Ta-ku Format: CD, digital | - |
| Beat Sketches Vol.1 | Released: 2011 Label: Digi Crates Records Format: digital | - |
| Latenyc | Released: 5 December 2011 Label: HW&W Recordings Format: digital | - |
| Do What you Love | Released: 21 June 2013 Label: Jakarta Format: digital | - |
| Songs to Break Up to | Released: 8 August 2013 Label: HW&W Recordings Format: digital | 18 |
| Songs to Make Up to | Released: 2015 | |
| Songs to Come Home to | Scheduled: 25 August 2023 |
EPs
| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| Darker Than Wax | Released: April 2011 Label: Format: digital |
| 50 Days for Dilla (Vol. 1) | Released: 15 March 2012 Label: HW&W Recordings Format: digital |
| 50 Days for Dilla (Vol. 2) | Released: July 2012 Label: HW&W Recordings Format: digital |
| Beast Mode (with Jaden Smith) | Released: February 24, 2015 Label: Self-released Format: Digital download |
| (m)edian (with Wafia) | Released: 5 August 2016 Label: Future Classic Format: digital |
| 25 Nights for Nujabes | Released: 21 December 2018 Label: Jakarta & 823 Records Format: digital download, streaming |
| Black & White (with Please Wait & Matt McWaters) | Released: 13 December 2019 Label: 823 Records Format: digital download, streaming |
Singles
As lead artist
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| AUS | |||
| "Down to Earth Music" (with Miles Benny]) | 2011 | - | |
| "1990s" (featuring Drapht) | 2013 | - | |
| "Love Again" (featuring JMSN & Sango) | 2015 | - | |
| "American Girl" (featuring Wafia) | - | ||
| "Meet in the Middle" (with Wafia) | 2016 | - | (m)edian |
| "Love Somebody" (with Wafia) | 74 | ||
| "Leave (Get Out)" (featuring Wafia) (Triple J Like a Version) | 2017 | - | non album single |
| "White" (with Matt McWaters) | 2019 | - | |
| "Flight 99" (with Please Wait & Matt McWaters) | - | Black and White | |
| "Glitter" | 2020 | - | |
| "Cruel" (with Panama) | - | ||
| "Notice" | - | ||
| "Misery" (with terri) | - | ||
| "Smile" (with Xavier Omar, DAISY WORLD & ROMderful) | 2023 | - | Songs To Come Home To |
| "Way Out" (featuring Milan Ring, Matt McWaters and ?uestlove) | - | ||
| "Better" (featuring Jay Prince & Billy Davis) | - |
As featured artist
| Title | Year |
|---|---|
| "Tasty" (Drapht featuring Ta-Ku) | 2013 |
| "Frogs" (Charles Murdoch featuring Wafia, Hak & Ta-Ku) | 2015 |
| "Sunflower Love" (Lyss featuring Ta-Ku) | 2019 |
Awards
AIR Awards
The Australian Independent Record Awards (commonly known informally as AIR Awards) is an annual awards night to recognise, promote and celebrate the success of Australia's Independent Music sector.
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Songs to Break Up To | Best Independent Dance/Electronic Album | Nominated |
| 2015 | Songs to Break Up to | Best Independent Dance/Electronic Album | Nominated |
West Australian Music Industry Awards
The West Australian Music Industry Awards are annual awards presented to the local contemporary music industry, put on annually by the Western Australian Music Industry Association Inc.
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result (wins only) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Ta-ku (Regan Mathews) | Electronic Producer of the Year | Won |
| 2014 | Ta-ku (Regan Mathews) | Electronic Producer of the Year | Won |
| 2015 | Ta-ku (Regan Mathews) | Electronic Producer of the Year | Won |