Artist Information
DJALU GURRUWIWI and Family - (Australia)


Djalu is a senior Galpu clan lawman who is well known internationally for his excellent skills as a Yidaki craftsman and his extensive knowledge as a Yidaki player.
He is known for his powerful and unique Yidaki playing style that reflects the depth of his culture and captivates his audience.
 
Djalu's Yidaki expertise is an extension of the role handed down to him by his now deceased father, Monyu, a noted Yolngu leader in his time.  Djalu often speaks of his time growing up with Monyu at Galiwinku and how,
wherever they went, Monyu always had a Yidaki with him.
Monyu instilled in his son the importance of Yolngu culture and gave Djalu the responsibility of looking after the Yidaki for the Galpu clan. This duty is very important as many clan groups throughout Arnhem Land look
to the  Galpu as one of the primary custodians of the instrument and linked to the Yidaki are many aspects of knowledge and cultural practice that are sacred, their hidden secrets religiously guarded by those in authority.

Prior to his fame, Djalu's obsession with the Yidaki saw him spend much of his time over several decades crafting instruments and refining his  technique. The pieces he made were sold to the local community arts centres and to non-Indigenous workers and visitors in his community who
probably did not appreciate the importance of the man and his work: to them, the Yidaki was merely a novelty, a keepsake. Nonetheless, in this  way, Djalu was able to win a small living to feed and to look after the needs of his immediate and extended family.
 
In the early 90's Djalu's reputation as the supplier of Yidaki to the popular band Yothu Yindi saw him rise to cult status internationally.  The Aboriginal members of the band recognised Djalu as "number 1" Yidaki  maker and
likewise commissioned him to make instruments for them.
These instruments toured with the band and were also used in studio recordings. In time as Yothu Yindi's popularity grew, so did the interest in Yidaki and Djalu.
 
By the mid-1990s, with the Internet here to stay, Djalu's status as "Mr didgeridoo"* was cemented. Web forums and chat sites discussed Djalu's Yidaki and why they were superior to other didjeridus. His instruments were traded across the world with dealers and collectors clambering to
buy his best pieces. Budding non-Indigenous didjeridu makers sought out his knowledge and special skill and found themselves making good money mimicking his unique crafting style.
 
As the idolizing public got to know Djalu, they saw not only a man possessed with spreading the message of the Yidaki - and you'll understand what this message is if you have met Djalu - but also an incredibly generous and open-hearted human being. In between hosting the throng of overseas visitors who make their pilgrimage to his
ramshackle house in remote Arnhem Land, Djalu balances his time between family, community, ceremonial and public duties. Djalu is also a highly respected elder and a Christian leader - having completed studies in theology at Nungalinya College in 1994 in Darwin. He maintains a
high status amongst his Yolngu communities in Miwatj.
 
In 1997, Djalu took part in one of the most important exhibitions of  Aboriginal art, the Painters of the Wagilag Sisters Story 1937-1997.  Staged at the National Gallery of Australia in Canberra, Djalu opened the
exhibition with Yidaki playing and helped with the construction of a sacred sand sculpture in the foyer of the exhibition space.
 
In 1998, Djalu collaborated with Australian and overseas artists and printmakers in The Meeting of the Waters project at the Northern Territory University.
 
Djalu delivered the first Yidaki Masterclass at the inaugural Garma Festival in 1999, delighting Australian and international guests with his challenging tuition and warm personality. He has delivered all subsequent Yidaki
Masterclasses at Garma from 2000 to 2007
 
Djalu's first international outing was in 2002 at the Rripangu Yidaki  Festival - named in honour of his family run business enterprise - in  the tranquil town of Eisenbach in Germany's Blackforest. He followed this up
with a visit to the USA and Taiwan in 2003 where his mastery of the Yidaki and natural charisma etched unforgettable memories in the minds of those in attendance. In 2004 Djalu and other members of his family travelled to the UAE for the Dubai Sister Cities Forum, and in 2005 he travelled to Japan for World Expo as well as the Tokyo Yidaki  Festa.
 
Also in 2003 was the Northern Territory Export Awards held at the Crown Plaza in Darwin. Djalu accepted first prize in the Art and Entertainment category on behalf of Yirrkala art centre.
 
In 2005 Djalu played for Nelson Mandela in Sydney, Australia, in a special meeting of 2 great leaders. In 2004 Djalu was featured in the NAIDOC Week special of George Negus Tonight on ABC television.
* Nicolas Rothwell, The Australian Newspaper,
 

Overseas tours and performances:
2002 Rripangu Yidaki Festival, Eisenbach, Germany
2003 Joshua Tree Festival, USA
2003 Indigenous Peoples Commission cultural visit, Taipei,
Taiwan 2004 Dubai Sister Cities Forum, Dubai, United Arab
Emirates 2005 World Expo, Aichi, Japan
2005 Yidaki Festa 2005, Okuhida & Tokyo, Japan
 
Artistic output:
Specialist Yidaki maker and player
Ochres (earth pigments) on bark
Ochres (earth pigments) on Larrakitj (Memorial Poles)
Material culture items
Recorded music
Subjects and themes
Mandji-dak (body painting design)
Clan miny'tji (designs) of saltwater and freshwater areas
Wititj (Olive Python)
Dhonyin (Javan File Snake)
Bol'ngu (the Thunderman)
 
Exhibitions:
1990 Spirit in Land, Bark Paintings from Arnhem Land,
National Gallery  of Victoria, Melbourne
1994 Power of the Land, Masterpieces of Aboriginal Art,
National Gallery  of Victoria, Melbourne
1994 The Eleventh National Aboriginal Art Awards, Museum
and Art Gallery  of the Northern Territory, Darwin
1995 Miny'tji Buku Larrnggay, Paintings from the East,
National Gallery  of Victoria, Melbourne
1995 The Twelfth National Aboriginal Art Awards, Museum
and Art Gallery  of the Northern Territory, Darwin
1996 The Thirteenth National Aboriginal Art Awards, Museum
and Art  Gallery of the Northern Territory, Darwin
1997 Native Title, Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney
1997 The Painters of The Wagilag Sisters Story, 1937-1997,
National  Gallery of Australia, Canberra
1998 The 4th National Indigenous Heritage Art Award, Old
Parliament  House, Canberra
1998 Hollow Logs from Yirrkala, Annandale Galleries,
Sydney 1998 The Meeting of the Waters, an exhibition of
prints and works by  artists from the Australasian Print
Project, 24Hour Art, Darwin 1999-2001 Saltwater Country -
Bark Paintings from Yirrkala, Drill Hall  Gallery, ANU;
John Curtin Gallery, Curtin University; Australian
National Maritime Museum, Sydney; Museum of Modern Art at
Heide,  Melbourne; The Araluen Cultural Centre, Alice
Springs; Queensland  University of Technology, Brisbane
 
Collections:
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
JW Kluge Collection, Virginia, USA
Numerous private collections
 
Bibliography:
1990 Jeanne Arnold, Barbara Philip & Djikundurru
Burarrwanga, Nambara  Art, Nambara Art, Nhulunbuy
1990 Judith Ryan, Spirit in Land, National Gallery of
Victoria, Melbourne 1996 John Cawte, Healers of Arnhem
Land, University of NSW Press, Sydney 1997 Wally Caruana &
Nigel Lendon, The Painters of The Wagilag Sisters  Story
1937 - 1997, National Gallery of Australia, Canberra 1999
Saltwater - Yirrkala Bark Paintings of Sea Country, Buku
Larrngay  Mulka Centre & Jennifer Isaacs Publishing,
Neutral Bay 2003 Guan Lim, Dhangal Gurruwiwi & Djalu
Gurruwiwi, Yidaki: Eine  Perspektive aus
Nordost-Arnhemland. In: Das Didgeridoo-Phaenomen. Von  der
Urzeit zur Moderne. Didgeridoobau. Edited by David
Lindner.  Traumzeit-Verlag, Schoenau, Germany
2004 Guan Lim, Dhangal Gurruwiwi & Djalu Gurruwiwi,
Yidaki: A  Perspective from north-east Arnhem Land. In:
The Didgeridoo Phenomenon.
 From Ancient Times to the Modern Age. Didgeridoobau.
Edited by David  Lindner. Traumzeit-Verlag, Schoenau,
Germany Numerous newspaper articles
 
CDs:
2001 Waluka: Gurritjiri Gurriwiwi featuring Djalu
Gurruwiwi. Traditional  music from north-east Arnhem Land,
Volume 2. Yothu Yindi Foundation -  Contemporary Masters
Series 2001 Djalu teaches and plays yidaki (didgeridoo).
Traditional music from  north-east Arnhem Land, Volume 3.
Yothu Yindi Foundation - Contemporary  Masters Series
2003 Djalu Plays and Teaches Yidaki, Volume 2 (Songs and
Stories from  the Galpu Clan). Traditional music from
north-east Arnhem Land, Volume  6. Yothu Yindi Foundation
- Contemporary Masters Series 2003 Diltjimurru: Djalu
Gurruwiwi. ON-Records & Djalu Gurruwiwi
 
DVDs:
2005 Yidaki Festa 2005 Djalu Gurruwiwi Japan Tour. Dinkum Music
 
Films
2000 Yidaki. Directed by Michael Butler and produced by
Michelle White  for Discovery Channel

Thanks to Guann Lee for teh Djalu Biography. You can finde the original texr and more info on www.ididj.com.au

A.A.R.A -(Svizzera, Austria, Germania)


The main focus of the Band A.A.R.A. is one of the worlds most fascinating sound producing instrument: the didgeridoo. Being used by Australian Aboriginal people for ritual and entertainment, its intriguing sound has now also conquered a diversity of musical styles throughout the world. With A.A.R.A., four outstanding representatives of the art of didgeridoo playing from three countries have merged in an ensemble of witty playing and performance art.

Each individual of them a live experience in his own right, together they present a diversity of instruments which could not be more extravagant: didgeridoo, alphorn, tuba, clarinet, aluminium comb, bodhran, stand drum, tin plates, vocals & voices, drums & percussion as well as live programming on stage... and there is no end to it, just as to the creativity of these internationally active artists.
Groovy, rhythmical, spherical...
Dancing positively wanted!

www.aara.at

Ondrej Smejkal- (Praga)



A one-man Didgeridoo orchestra is perhaps the best way of describing the extraordinary music of phenomenal Didgeridoo player Ondrej Smeykal. His highly original style of play is the result of a life completely devoted to his instrument. For well over a decade and with ever increasing intensity, Ondrej has been developing and redefining his own unique approach to the Didgeridoo. His predominant use of unusually long Didges and “extensions” of up to 4 metres in length, enable him to play incredibly deep tones and to produce a much wider range of sounds and overtones than are possible on regular didgeridoos. Each composition, or song, as he refers to it, is very different in style, ranging from break-beat and organic Didgeridoo techno, to trance, ambient and anywhere in between.
www.smeykal.com



Andrea Ferroni - (Italia)




Charmed by the didjeridoo, he begins his studies as a self-taught musician, therefore he follows courses and workshops held by worldwide famous artists such as Matthias Mueller, Ansgar Stein, Michael Jackson, Si Mullumby, Mark Atkins and Alan Dargin. He makes use of everything he learns, and mostly studies very personal techniques in depth. Since 2002 he has been studying also overtone singing, jazz harmony, saxophone and beatboxing. In less than four years, he has performed in the most prestigious European festivals in France, Switzerland, Germany, Portugal and Great Britain achieving great feedback from crictics and reviews in specialized magazines.
He established the 'Scuola del Didjeridoo' ('Didjeridoo School'), where he started teaching in 2003. He focuses on his teaching methods and research on phonetics, logopedia and physics. He holds workshops and courses all over Italy and Europe.
In 2006, he teaches in the ethnic school 'Iat Gong' in Genoa, an institute which has gathered the major experts and performers of various traditional art disciplines from all over the world.
He founded the cultural association 'Yidaki', involved in promoting the native Australian music and culture, which has reached a number of almost 100 members in Italy and abroad in less than one year. With it, he also establishes 'Yidakipedia.com', the Italian didgeridoo enciclopedia dedicated to the didjeridoo and the aboriginal culture.
So far he has published five CDs : "Noises & Voices" (2004), "Tribal Revolution" (2005) and “Breaking Through” (2006), "Ritratto" (2007), "Windproject 2008" (2008).
He also cooperated in several CD and compilations like: "Compilation.Didgeridoo.IT" - various artists(2005), "Sentimental Journey" Roberto Laneri (2007), "Yidaki Compilation Vol.I" - various artists (2008), "Tutti Pari" - Ipercussonici (2008)
He personally builds his instruments, which are very appreciated in Italy and by many artists who play them live. For this reason, he cooperates with European and Italian researchers to work on possible internal didjeridoo shapes on the basis of the main techniques adopted by contemporary musicians.
Some of his studies are published on "didgeridoo encyclopaedia lexicon", the didjeridoo encyclopaedia.
www.andreaferroni.it

Lord Theremin - (Italia)

Trenta anni di musica, i primi live all’età di 16 anni come tastierista, le prime esperienze con i sinth studi perlopiù classici organo e pianoforte, dopo dodici anni dagli inizi, la prima svolta con lo studio di chitarra flamenca e djembè e le prime composizioni con collaborazioni nell’area della danza contemporanea. Un incidente interrompe il percorso e in quel momento l’incontro con il Theremin, su cui sviluppa tecniche innovative ad oggi all’attivo decine di collaborazioni tra i più disparati generi per dimostrare l’universalità dello strumento

Tam Tam Flute - (Italia)


This italian band was born at the end of the 90’ thanks to the meeting of 5 friends - all musicians- who combined their instruments (flutes, didgeridoos, drums, bass and keyboard) and personal mucical styles to create a rhythmic-melodic trip through the continents.

Paride Russo DIDJERIDOO YIDAK]
Costantino Brigiadori FLAUTI
Ornella D'urbano TASTIERA
Fabrizio Fabiani BASSO
Nico Mazza PERCUSSIONI BATTERIA

Marcabru - (Italia-Francia)

Imagine taking a journey; you put up at a hotel, leave your bags and go for a first walk of recognition in a newly hosting town ; the night is drawing in and people are going home for dinner, most are walking, some are hurrying, some lingering. You’re quite interested in the inhabitants of this town so you follow their paths wondering about their stories. But then you want to take a look at the town itself, should it be like another one you know, it’s the first time you visit it. That’s when it happens, you understand. A place like this is on none of those maps they give you at the tourist office. Towers, sky-scrappers, metal or wood. Of course, many towns cradle their past, nurse their own monuments and still neighbour spaces, maybe in the nearest district, for their modern soul made of shining buildings, boulevards, parking lots and high speed. But this one, you can see it at once, doesn’t just match them, it has them living in a unique organism, as if cultures, architectonic styles and spaces had melted giving birth to a new where: the same palaces are both young and old, Renaissance Florence and Berlin 2000.

That’s what you can feel listening to the music of “Folk Randagio”: heath’s blossoms seen through steel work, electricity at the Provencal Courts. Troubadours rushing progressive rock out of their chords, modern musicians hosting a minstrel spirit: here are Marcabru; heirs of I musici and their 20 years old search, they have given themselves no boundary but listen to the stories that are born from the concrete souls of things, gather the humours of life that runs around them. So plainly they tell with the sounds of the didjeridoo embracing the fiddle and the electric bass melting in with celtic and mediterranean echoes: contamination and nomadism looking for any further inner balance is their only creed. With a name written in as a tutelary deity to protect their truly popular spirit and never forgetting the land and tongue of which they are born, root on which they have let grow and blow in the wind the leafy branches of their musical tree.

(Stefano Maldini)


Formazione:
Fiorino Fiorini: didjeridoo, Dan Moi
Fabio Briganti: violino, bouzouki, voce
Fiorenzo Mengozzi: batteria, percussioni
Marie Rascoussier: basso elettrico, voce