Distant Dreams and Morning Stars is from Inkadies, the latest solo album by dream-pop folk artist John White. As a follow up to Balloon Adventure (2000) and Mogwash (2003), The Inkadies might be described as the third instalment of tales from a delicate otherland where little creatures called Inkadies come to save the day.

The album was recorded in Madison, Wisconsin by friend and fellow singer/songwriter, Tom Hanson. Gathering guest musician’s from Madison’s lush music scene, the album boasts chiming harmonies and dripping Synth accompaniments underneath John’s dreamily relaxed vocals and gently strummed acoustic guitar

John White is also the frontman for seminal Dunedin fuzz-pop band Mëstar and shoegazing, distorted pop band The Blueness.

REVIEW

“The Inkadies” is the soundtrack to that glorious half-asleep period that we get before sleep - full of strange imaginations and warmth. Beautiful stuff, and an oh-so-welcome return from the talented Mr White."
- Cheese on Toast

Listen to album

Distant Dreams and Morning Stars

I had piano lessons from the age of 6 and studied piano at Otago University in New Zealand (not that it necessarily shows). 

These days I like to play my own humble compositions which are in a neoclassical style. I recently recorded my debut solo piano album in Berlin, where I now reside. 

I am greatly inspired by Nils Frahm, Hania Rani, Max Richter, Ludvico Einaudi and Philip Glass, to name but a few.

I have a solo electronic project called Broad Oak: https://soundcloud.com/broadoak and I'm in a band with my son: https://soundcloud.com/cosmoandthecosmonaut

I also have a band project called The Mung Beings: https://soundcloud.com/themungbeings

DJ Marco Polo has been entertaining audiences at festivals, parties and gigs around New Zealand for the last few years with a highly infectious, uplifting selection of world music guaranteed to set any dancefloor alight. A Marco Polo set encompasses the most danceable sounds from around the planet featuring Balkan Beats, gypsy music, middle eastern and Bollywood tunes, afrobeat and a sprinkling of Latin and Pacific flavours.

In New Zealand, he has played at Prana, Splore, Jambalaya, the Big Bay Out, Cross St Carnival, Culturefest, AK07 &amp; AK09, The Famous Spiegeltent and 2 WOMAD afterparties alongside Mr Scruff and Nickodemus. He has also supported The Hot Grits, The Mamaku Project, The Benka Boradovsky Bordello Band, An Emerald City, Niko Ne Zna and the Jews Brothers. He has toured NZ many times with various acts and in January ‘08, ’09, ’10 and ‘11 organised and went on the highly successful Gypsy Fever tours with the Benka Boradovskys and Niko Ne Zna.

DJ Marco Polo aka Nigel Braddock came from a musical family and studied piano from the age of five. At the age of twenty he graduated from Otago University with a Bachelor of Music in Classical Piano. After several years traveling he started his DJ career as DJ Lotus in the late 90’s playing at iconic outdoor dance parties such as The Gathering and Visionz. He set up his own record label, Monkey Records, in the year 2000 and under the name of DJ Monkey began djing NZ music from his and other like-minded labels. Following a trip to Berlin in 2006 and a meeting with renowned producer Shantel (Bucovina Club), Nigel was inspired to invent another DJ persona, DJ Balkanetic, aimed squarely at the dancefloor, and since then has been in constant demand as NZ’s top world music DJ. 

Nigel has been visiting Berlin in summer the last few years and has DJ’d at various clubs including White Trash, Kaffee Burger, Supermolli, Schokladen and Madame Claude amongst others. In August 2010 he played at the Inspiral Lounge in London. From the beginning of 2011, he will be based in Berlin more permanently and will be playing regularly around town under his new alias of DJ Marco Polo. 



Monkey Records is a boutique independent record label founded in New Zealand in the year 2000 by Nigel Braddock but now based in Berlin. 

After working for twenty years with some amazing artists from all over the world, Monkey Records is no longer accepting any new artist submissions and Braddock is now focused on releasing his own music. Projects include his solo piano compositions under his own name, ambient electronica as Broad Oak and Choam Nomsky as well as collaborations such as The Mung Beings, The Tellurians and Cosmo and the Cosmonaut (with his own son).

Vic Miranda (Music Producer)
Vicki Glass (Lyrics & Vocals)