An Evening with Che Fu & The Kratez _{by Madelaine Empson}

Che Fu wants audiences to come in ready to party when he plays Michael Fowler Centre on Sunday the 11^th of October with his band The Kratez and some very special guests. Stretching the length and breadth of the country, the upcoming 10-date tour marks 25 years since the release of his seminal album Navigator. Threading themes of identity, resilience, unity, and hope across radio anthems like Misty Frequencies, Fade Away, and the unmistakable Waka, the album became a defining soundtrack for Aotearoa and solidified Che Fu as one of its most influential voices.

The New Zealand Music Hall of Fame | Te Whare Taonga Puoro o Aotearoa 2026 inductee would “love to see happy faces, grooving people, people who get lost in the moment and get taken away for a couple of hours” at this concert that brings Navigator to life in full alongside selections from the remarkable catalogue that followed. “There’s going to be so many things I’m going to touch on: the funk, the soul, the reggae, the hip-hop. If you’re into that, I hope you leave with a big smile.”

How does it feel to be celebrating the 25^th anniversary of Navigator?

The record, 25 years… I never would’ve thought I’d be here talking to you about my record being around for 25 years. It’s a surprise, a good surprise. I guess it’s a testament to a lot of work that’s gone by and that was focused into that record. I think of all the people who I created the record with or who helped me take it to Aotearoa and the rest of the world. The shows we did off the back of that album were some legendary ones.

What most jumps out at you about that time? It must’ve been a whirlwind, going triple platinum, sweeping the New Zealand Music Awards, those legendary shows…

Just off top, I think of my youngest, Loxmyn – he featured on the album cover. At that point, I was a young dad. I was trying to juggle all these things and put out this record, but obviously my focal point was my child, my family, my wife, trying to be parents. I was also getting my band The Kratez together. At that point I didn’t really have a solid lineup, but on the back of the Navigator record I was able to get a bunch of guys that were keen to ride with me throughout.

Over the 25 years, The Kratez lineup has shifted a bit, so a lot of those original members are no longer playing with me – they went on to do their own individual things. We have jazz sensei Godfrey de Grut, he went on to be a big jazz lecturer at Auckland uni and was music director for a lot of huge events like Coca-Cola Christmas in the Park. Chip Matthews went on to play bass for a lot of other cool bands: Opensouls and more recently Tom Scott and his crew. The drummer Paul Russell, my best friend from the Supergroove days, was rocking on the West End performing Stomp. My current crew have been rocking with me for about a decade. That’s who I’m taking around the motu this October.

You’re mixing it up by going to some regional spots as well as the big cities?

That’s something we planned on doing to try and see the people who’ve been supporting the record all these years. I really wanted to get face to face with those cats as much as I could, just to say thanks.

You’ve got some amazing support acts as well! Sounds like it’s going to be epic.

I’m very spoilt, yes! We have some amazing guests. My good friend King Kapisi, who will always be riding with me. We’re a crew ourselves; we have a duo called Hedlok. When the stars align, we’re able to get together. The mighty Aaradhna, who I’m so stoked to have on board, and Betty-Anne. When Brent Eccles approached me and said, ‘Brother man, we’d like to offer you a show with guests on board with you on stage, similar to what we did with Supergroove last year,’ I felt like a kid in a candy store. I was able to select people who I really thought we’d vibe with on the road, especially with my band playing their tracks. The first two people who came to mind, other than my brother King Kaps, were Aaradhna and Betty-Anne. Obviously they’re complete stars, so I was so happy to be able to get that across the line.

What are the vibes like in rehearsals?

We’ve been learning Betty-Anne and Aaradhna’s tracks. The band room has a different type of energy, because obviously we’ve only been doing my tunes for the last however many years. We’re giddy little boys in the band room playing tracks we grew up with – especially in terms of Betty-Anne. And then Aaradhna’s tracks, which are just – come on! Her songs are crazy. Also, we’ve incorporated a really cool horn section, which is something new for us. It’s something we tried at the Aotearoa Music Awards this year, and man, it was so good. So we’ve been having a lot of fun and we’re really looking forward to bringing it to people.

Do the meanings of your songs change for you over time?

For me as a performer, I’m looking at delivering what you hear on the record every single time. That’s one of my things. Obviously there are live embellishments, but for the most part, I like to reproduce the tracks. I’ve recently really enjoyed seeing a lot of young people still enjoying my tunes, which is a great surprise to me. Also of late, something I’ve seen that has been really cool is parents and their kids at my shows. I tell you, as a songwriter and a performer, it fills me with a lot of joy. After all those years of playing that material, that’s the biggest change I’ve noticed. It’s pretty beautiful.

In terms of your songwriting and storytelling, what do you think Navigator would have to say about the world today?

Navigator was a concept record, a viewpoint of: what would our culture be like in terms of being moana Pasifika, tangata whenua, from Aotearoa, in the future? And bringing culture, technology, and nature together. When I think about the record and the moment in time that we live in now, I think some of the concepts I was touching upon are still relevant. Some things in particular come to mind: Toitū Te Tiriti. I spoke about that in a couple of my tracks, and to still see our people out there, grinding away, still pushing against the powers that be to move up and move forward… that’s still prevalent and alive. I’ve gone to some of these rallies. I was at Toitū Te Tiriti and they were playing my father’s music through the speakers. They asked me to get up and perform, so in that way, I think the record really resonated with them. For me to think that would happen 25 years ago? It’s a wonderful surprise.