Gurrumul To Debut New Electronica Music At St Kilda Festival

Gurrumul will perform music from his upcoming electronica album ‘TRIBE2tribe’ for the very first time at the St Kilda Festival in February.

The St Kilda Festival in Melbourne is Australia’s largest free music festival drawing a crowd of over 400,000 each year.

St Kilda Deputy Mayor Serge Thomann has had a long association with Gurrumul. “Gurrumul is giving us a big gift as his performance will be a world premiere and he will introduce us his new sound,” Serge said.

Thomann describes this new sound of Gurrumul as ETM. “As his website states, Gurrumul has begun to explore the “dance” world of mainstream genres, and he combines Yolngu (North East Arnhem clans) songs with the “club” style of music he has grown up with. It is essentially Electro Trad Music (ETM), the fusion of Electro sounds and song forms with Traditional Indigenous songs”. 

As a world renowned music photographer before entering politics Serge Thomann captured the careers of many great artists like Kylie Minogue and Michael Hutchence who went on to become his close friends. He also worked with Gurrumul’s uncle the late Mandawuy Yunupingi of Yothu Yindi. “I will always remember my ten days spent with Yothu Yindi in Arnhem Land, especially with the late and great Mandawuy Yunupingu, Gurrumul’s uncle,” he said. “The photos I took at the time were used by Mushroom Records for Yothu Yindi’s first album, Tribal Voice, that was released in 1992. The album won an ARIA award for best record cover.  I remained close to Mandawuy. I actually had a didgeridoo made for me while I was in Arnhem Land and I hung the instrument on the ceiling of my apartment with a fishing string. The day Mandawuy died, the string broke and the didgeridoo smashed a vase. This was before I knew he died… A sign no doubt”.

“Mandawuy gave me the name of Gutjuk meaning hawk when we became blood brothers. A huge honour that I’ll treasure for the rest of my life.  I cannot wait to welcome my “nephew” to our St Kilda on 14 February… The most powerful music Australia has been producing for thousands of years, according to people in the know.”

The St Kilda Festival is on Sunday February 14, 2016. Check out the complete line-up here.