The Cloud Maker: A Story Of Mythology & Memory
The Cloud Maker's Aviva Endean explores the origins of the group's self-titled debut album, their music and themes ahead of their WOMADelaide debut.
The Cloud Maker (Credit: Anne Moffat/Supplied)
The Cloud Maker may have only started collaborating in 2019, but their hauntingly beautiful improvisatory style takes from thousands of years worth of stories.
Their debut self-titled album, released last week via Skinnyfish Music, is a mesmerising tapestry of stories drawn from the goddesses and folklore of the five master musicians who make up the collective. The result? An album that is a celestial force weaving together cultural myths, improvisation, and sonic landscapes that transport listeners across time and space in a celebration of feminine energy.
Beginnings in Banff
The story of The Cloud Maker begins in an unexpected place—the snowy peaks of Canada. In 2019, Aviva Endean, Te Kahureremoa Taumata, and Sunny Kim met during a residency at The Banff Centre.
There, Taumata introduced her fellow musicians to the story of Raukatauri, the Māori moth goddess of music, whose spirit is said to reside within the Pūtōrino, a traditional wooden flute. This initial exchange of mythology and sound laid the foundation for what would become a groundbreaking collaboration.
Don't miss a beat with our FREE daily newsletter
“The story of the creation of the instrument itself is the same as the creation story of Raukatauri, who's the Maori goddess of music,” Endean revealed of what she learned from Te Kahureremoa.
“She's a moth, and she lives inside the flute. And so, when she told me the story of the flute, she told me the story of the moth goddess. She was also playing the accompanying sounds from the story on the flute.
“There's three different ways of playing the instrument: one that's sort of like the female moth voice, one that's the male moss voice, and then one that's played from the centre of the instrument, which is where baby moths crawl out — and that's the third way of playing the instrument.
“It was just so beautiful in the way the music, the story, and the sounds were integrated. I just thought it was so beautiful. So, I kept thinking on this idea of, like, ‘Oh, there must be so much more music that we could create from looking into sort of these beautiful creation stories, you know, that exist in every culture.’”
Upon returning to Australia, Endean couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something greater to be explored.
She gathered a group of like-minded Australian-based musicians—Freya Schack-Arnott (cello/nyckelharpa), Maria Moles (drums), and Sunny Kim (vocals/kkwaenggwari)—each of whom brought their own rich heritage and musical prowess. Their collective goal? To reimagine the feminine divine through sound, improvisation, and performance.
“The way that I invited the other musicians into it was mostly based on the fact that they're just really incredible musicians that I admire, and thinking about the lineup—thinking about the instruments as well, thinking it would be great to have the power of drums to have the bass of the cello and all of that. But also knowing that these other women that I was bringing into it also have connection to, you know, their different cultural heritages,” Endean said.
“Maria Moles’ mother is Filipino, so I knew that she was really interested in looking more into that side of her cultural background. And Freya Schack-Arnott, her mother is Danish; she's actually named after Freya, who's the Norse goddess. So I sort of knew she'd be interested in looking into this as well. And then Sunny Kim - it’s connected to her. She was born in Seoul, Korea, and who am I forgetting? Myself, yeah, and myself. It was a nice opportunity for me to look into my own cultural background as well.”
Endean has Celtic roots on her father’s side.
The six musicians gathered at Ukaria Cultural Centre in South Australia, where they spent a week exchanging stories from their respective cultures and using those narratives as the basis for musical exploration.
The Cloud Maker was born from this organic process, with each member contributing not only their musical expertise but also the cultural narratives that helped shape their outlook.
The Album: A Celebration of Goddess Archetypes
The Cloud Maker’s debut album is a sonic journey through creation myths, transformation, and empowerment.
The tracklist reads like a mythical odyssey, from the eerie, evocative Shaman Dance, which pays tribute to Princess Bari, the Korean goddess of the afterlife, to the haunting Selkie Shimmer, inspired by Celtic folklore of the seal-woman trapped between two worlds. Each piece is a carefully woven narrative, with the musicians using their instruments to embody the spirits and emotions of the stories they tell.
One of the album’s standout tracks, The Godly River, is described by the band as “a gentle friend” and a tribute to sacred cycles of womanhood and the moon.
With its ethereal vocals and fluid instrumentation, the song serves as a reflection on the shared experiences of womanhood and the ways in which ancient traditions remain relevant today. The lyrics, co-written by Te Kahureremoa Taumata and Kamaarie te arawai, highlight themes of renewal, connection, and honoring the natural rhythms of life.
“A lot of what happened in that week together - when we spent that time together developing this music - was a really strong bonding between all of the musicians, held together through our experience of being women, and especially thinking about the stories of all these kind of feminine goddess characters.
“A lot of the themes that have emerged through those stories are still really pertinent and resonant for the modern experience of being a woman.”
Beyond its storytelling, the album is also an experiment in sonic texture and structure. Songs like Blood For The Earth and Dance From The Afterlife layer traditional instruments with experimental soundscapes, creating a rich and immersive listening experience. The musicians employ techniques such as prepared piano, harmonic flutes, and intricate vocal harmonies to craft their distinct sound.
An Improvisatory Experience
While The Cloud Maker’s music has roots in improvisation, their album is far from spontaneous.
The group spent a week at Ukaria Cultural Centre in South Australia, where they shared myths from their cultures, identifying common themes and imagery. These discussions became the launchpad for improvisational sessions, where they recorded and refined ideas before entering the studio. The result is an album that retains the organic energy of improvisation while being polished and intentional in its execution.
Endean, who produced the album, described the process as a careful balance between spontaneity and structure.
“By the time we got into the studio, we had a clear vision of the sound [and] worlds we wanted to explore, but there was still room for individual expression,” she explained.
“When we had that week at Ukaria in South Australia, I kind of developed a sequence of little activities that we could do based on the stories that we shared with each other and improvisation.
“So, for example, when we told each other the stories, I got each person to write down what felt like the resonant themes for them, or what was most important. We sort of tried to thread together some, I guess, three lines of like things that we were interested in, or any kind of images, whether they're visual or sonic, of things that are evoked for us, and then we use them as a sort of launch pad for our improvisations.”
The recording process itself was a collaborative effort, with each track evolving through layered performances and intuitive sonic choices. The album was recorded and mixed by Pat Telfer at Sydney Road Studios and mastered by Joe Talia.
From Studio to Stage
Bringing these mythological soundscapes to a live audience was an experience even the band didn’t fully anticipate. Their recent regional tour across Australia saw packed-out venues and overwhelming responses from audiences.
Endean shares, “It was actually really powerful to be able to perform this music live after all this time working on it, and I think it connected even more powerfully with audiences than we could have possibly imagined. We just had really, really strong responses to everywhere we went; we pretty much sold out audiences. Also, in regional areas, which we really appreciated, because it can be hard to get audiences for this kind of music in regional areas.
“I think people really connected with the idea of the project. And yeah, we had people saying crazy things to us afterwards, like on numerous occasions, people being like, ‘That was the best thing I've ever seen.’ Kind of crazy, but I was just like ‘Okay, great! I’m just gonna take that.’”
A key element of their performances is the stunning visual aesthetic. Designed by Kate Davis, the band’s stage costumes include elaborate bejeweled balaclavas and moon-shaped headdresses with flowing tassels. These theatrical elements heighten the otherworldly atmosphere of their shows:
“It allows us to sort of step into really embodying the goddess figures that have inspired the project. Performing in them feels like we're able to tap into another part of ourselves. I think that really lifted the performance to this other level of, you know, really almost pushing into feeling like a sort of semi-theatrical work as well.”
Looking Ahead: WOMADelaide and Beyond
As The Cloud Maker gears up for their highly anticipated performance at WOMADelaide, they are preparing to bring their music to an even wider audience. Performing on a large outdoor festival stage for the first time, the group is excited to scale up their show.
“Most of the performances that we did in Victoria and New South Wales were under 200 seat kind of venues. So, it's going to be sort of scaling the whole thing up for that festival audience,” Endean says.
“WOMAD is just one of my favorite festivals ever. When we were first thinking about where we wanted to take this project, it was really at the top of our bucket list of places that we wanted to go. So, when it was one of the first bookings that we got, we were just really excited. And I think it's…it's a powerful project to bring there, because WOMADelaide’s approach - it’s a festival that really celebrates musical cultures from all over the world.
“This project is quite unique in that way, in that it brings not just music from a particular culture, but a project that brings together multiple different cultures into one project, not necessarily through traditional musical forms, but through the fact that we've sort of shared our cultural knowledge and stories with each other.”
More From Our Network
