Ten years ago, singer Mina Ripia and her partner Maaka McGregor set out to shake up the New Zealand music scene by mixing the melodies, rhythms and language of the Maori people with subtle western electronica. Their album 100% was deservedly nominated for awards, and now, a decade later, comes Wai's second international release, which expands on those original experiments. It has taken them years to complete, and involves a variety of special guests, including Iain Gordon from their more boisterous compatriots Fat Freddy's Drop, but the resulting songs are remarkably fresh and uncluttered. The opening Tuhia Te Ha, which is dedicated to the "late, great Charlie Gillett", one of the band's early champions, is an unaccompanied vocal harmony piece with lyrics praising the success of the Maori language, and has the gentle charm of church choral music. When the electronica does kick in, it is rarely allowed to dominate but instead follows the ebb and flow of the vocal lines on songs that range from the drifting, trance-like Mei Kore Koe to the gently driving dance track Faifai Malie, which also makes use of Samoan languages and rhythms. It has been worth the wait.