Australian hip-hop producer Ta-ku, born Regan Matthews, has earned recognition as a highly regarded beatmaker whose inventive productions emphasize emotional depth. Tributes honoring key inspirations J Dilla and Nujabes quickly developed dedicated audiences, alongside projects such as the 2013 release Songs to Break Up To and its 2015 successor Songs to Make Up To. Subsequent work shifted toward downbeat pop textures through partnerships with Wafia, among them the 2016 EP (m)edian, as well as the guest-laden full-length Songs to Come Home To issued in 2023.
Based in Perth, Matthews first began crafting beats in the mid-2000s. Different Spaces, his debut project from 2009, incorporated contributions from MCs, vocalists, and DJs across multiple countries, all recruited through social-media outreach. The 2010 mixtape Tribute paid homage to the late J Dilla, while additional joint efforts arrived that year with Kris Mars and Roughsoul under the LoveChild moniker. Throughout 2011 he issued numerous beat tapes and digital EPs, among them the bright, funky Latenyc featuring a guest spot from Chet Faker and a split EP alongside Pavel Dovgal titled Finest Ego: Faces 12" Series, Vol. 1. HW&W Recordings compiled the results of his daily J Dilla-styled tracks into the two-volume set 50 Days for Dilla in 2012.
Matthews maintained a high output throughout 2013. Following the J Dilla project came 25 Nights for Nujabes, another mixtape honoring the late Japanese producer. Bricks & Mortar, a split EP with Suff Daddy, preceded the full-length Dowhatyoulove on the German label Jakarta, which also issued the Raashan Ahmad collaboration Low Fidelity, High Quality. Later that year HW&W put out Songs to Break Up To, whose heightened complexity and emotional resonance soon established it as one of his defining works. The more optimistic follow-up Songs to Make Up To, featuring vocalists including JMSN, Sango, and Jordan Rakei, surfaced in 2015. That same year Ta-ku issued the cover “American Girl” of Estelle’s “American Boy,” performed with Wafia. The pair continued releasing joint material over subsequent years, including the 2016 EP (m)edian. In 2019 the Nujabes tribute received its first vinyl pressing, augmented by two bonus tracks, while Matthews teamed with Matt McWaters in the duo Please Wait for the downbeat R&B EP Black & White.
The piano-driven ballad “Glitter” appeared in 2020, followed by the Panama collaboration “Cruel.” Matthews assembled the bedroom-producer compilation All Things Considered Vol. 1. The solo track “Notice” preceded 2021 singles “Wide Open,” recorded with Wafia and Masego, and “Process,” recorded with Cabu and Milan Ring. AI Beat Tape, a joint effort with generative soundscape company Endel, emerged in 2022. Songs to Come Home To arrived the following year, carrying an extensive roster of guests that encompassed ?uestlove, Xavier Omär, JMSN, Thrupence, and additional contributors.
