Born and raised in Central Auckland, New Zealand (where he continues to reside) KillaManRaro (a.k.a Ned Ngatae) has been chipping away behind the scenes in the New Zealand music industry for many years now, manifesting and channelling his creative energies through a miriad of mediums. As a founding member of Token Village, 'Raro went on to help create early albums for fellow Villagers Che Fu and King Kapisi before the group disbanded in the late-90s.
An enthusiast from day dot, he eventually began playing records in bars and clubs in 1999 and was invited to be a participant at the 2001 Red Bull Music Academy in N.Y.C. He has since gone on to establish himself as one of AK's foremost purveyors of hip-hop/reggae/dancehall/funk and all things deep and soulful, and has built a reputation for creating a bevy of mash-up blends aimed squarely at the dancefloor with more than a hint of fromage. The role of broadcaster was added to his many guises when he began the "Steadfast and True" radio show on Auckland's George FM between 1999-2004.
Continuing to perform and record as a guitarist, Ned has had the opportunity to work with a diverse array of local and overseas acts including Sola Rosa, Footsouljahs, The Mutton Birds, Soane, Tha Feelstyle, Trinity Roots, Spektrum, and Dimmer, to name but a few. His work with the latter culminated in their receiving the "Best live group" and "Best rock album" accolades at the 2004 New Zealand Music Awards, as well as being nominated for the A.P.R.A Silver Scroll award that same year for the song "Getting what you give". In addition to these musical ventures, Ned continues to collaborate with long time friend and Token Village/Dimmer bandmate Andy "Submariner" Morton who, amongst numerous other projects, enlisted his services in creating the music for the feature film "Sione's wedding".
Finding boundless enjoyment and inspiration in touring and performing, 'Raro has regularly accepted invitations to perform throughout NZ and abroad including such places as Wellington, Queenstown & Wanaka, Northland, Coromandel, Sydney, Melbourne and the Cook Islands to spread the love. 2006 marked his first musical excursion to the UK and Europe, with several hugely successful gigs in London, Dublin, and Barcelona. Since then he has been invited to play guitar for Auckland's finest funk/soul outfit Tyra & the Tornadoes as well as the hugely popular Hollie Smith. His tenure with Ms. Smith (since November 2007) has seen him performing in NZ, Byron Bay, Vancouver, L.A., and most recently on her 2008 tour of Europe.
Next on the agenda for the Killaman is the release of Anna Coddington's highly anticipated solo debut "The Lake", a project he has worked ..ly with Coddington and their assembled "dream team" of musicians including Riki Gooch (Drums), Chip Matthews (Bass Guitar), Stephanie Brown (Keyboards), Anika Moa (Backing Vocals) and engineered & mixed by Neil Baldock at Neil Finn's Roundhead studio in Auckland (Finn himself graces one of the tracks on grand piano).
For more information/tour dates WATCH THIS SPACE!
Selected Discography:
Che Fu- "2 B Spacific" 1998 (BMG);
King Kapisi- "Savage thoughts" 2000 (FMR);
Soane- "Go master" 2001 (Paper recordings);
Soane- "Tropical snowstorm" 2001 (Paper recordings);
Sola Rosa- "Solarised" 2001 (FMR);
House of Downtown- "Release" 2001 (Universal);
Salmonella Dub- "Johnny (Dubmariner remix)" 2003 (EMI);
House of Downtown- "Mother funkin earth" 2003 (Universal);
Footsouljahs- "Puttin in work" 2004 (2Much Music);
Soane- "Tongan chic" 2004 (In Music);
Trinity Roots- "Home land and sea" 2004 (Trinity Roots);
Sola Rosa- "Haunted out-takes" 2004 (FMR);
Dimmer- "You've got to hear the music" 2004 (FMR);
Tha Feelstyle- "Break it to pieces" 2004 (FMR);
Del Rey System- "NZ to BK" 2005 (Universal);
Sola Rosa- "Moves on" 2005 (FMR);
Fat Freddys Drop- "Wanderin eye (Submariner remix)" 2005 (The Drop);
Spektrum- "Don't be shy" 2006 (Nonstop);
Submariner meets KillaManRaro & Opensouls uptown- "Turn it up dub" 2007 (F.T.C.)
Anika Moa "In swings the tide" 2007 (EMI)
Tim Guy "Humabyes" 2007 (Monkey Records)
Upcoming releases featuring Ned Ngatae/KillaManRaro-
Eru Dangerspiel "Great news for the Modern Man"
Anna Coddington "The Lake"
Paddy Free solo album
