Gondwanaland (band)
Encyclopedia
Gondwanaland, originally billed as Gondwanaland Project, were an ARIA Award winning Australian musical ensemble which combined indigenous Australian instruments such as didgeridoo
and bullroarer
with western instruments such as synthesizer
and guitar
.
refers to the hypothetical continental landmass of the prehistoric Mesozoic
era that included Antarctica, South America, Africa, India and Australia.
Sydney musician Charlie McMahon
formed Gondwanaland Project in order to combine his love for the Australian outback and his didgeridoo playing and was amongst the first musicians to unite western and traditional indigenous music into the nascent genre of world music
.
McMahon took up the didgeridoo as a teenager and perfected his technique over the years he spent working in Central Australia. Much of McMahon's music was inspired by landscapes, in particular the endless horizons of the desert. To achieve the unique sound McMahon required for his desert tunes, he joined up with synthesiser player Peter Carolan in 1981.
Gondwanaland issued a self-financed cassette, Didgeridu-Synth, in 1983. In 1984 McMahon and Carolan assembled a small studio band of musician friends (including Rob Hirst
(Midnight Oil
) and Andrew DeTeliga) and recorded the first Gondwanaland album under the title Terra Incognita, which was released on the small independent Hot label, together with the single "Danger"/"Drought" in May, 1984.
In April 1985 McMahon was flown to London to perform with the London Philharmonic Orchestra
on the recording of Maurice Jarre's Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome
soundtrack. When he returned a month later an advertisement was placed in a music paper 'Gondwana Wana Drummer'. They received only one response from an energetic multi-format percussionist called Eddy Duquemin. He joined the live Gondwanaland band at which time McMahon decided to make the group his full time occupation.
In November 1985, Midnight Oil
commenced a 26-date local tour starting in Dubbo with Gondwanaland supporting, this gave the newly constituted three piece some 'tour of duty' exposure [if not exactly the type of audience they were hoping to attract].
The Powderworks label in 1986 issued Gondwanaland's second album, Let the Dog Out. It contained a bracket of aggressive, up-tempo numbers followed by two extended compositions, the first of which, "Ephemeral Lakes", later became a regular choice for meditative ambient music compilations.
In 1987, after a year of extensive live work in Sydney and an Arts Council sponsored four week tour of the Northern Territory, the band signed with WEA
, releasing their third album, self titled Gondwanaland in 1988. It had taken many months to record and while the prolonged touring helped tighten the arrangements some of the groups intense live energy was diluted by the usual studio technique of making a separate recording of each member's instrumental part before a final mix. Gondwanaland however went on to win an ARIA Award
in 1998 for 'Best Indigenous Release'. One track from this collection, "Landmark", is notable as it features the first use of McMahon's invention, the multi-tone, slide didgeridoo called 'didjeribone'.
In November 1988 Gondwanaland performed during the 'Tomita
Sound Cloud In Sydney - Hymn To Mankind', a $3 million (AUS), Japanese government sponsored, light and sound, opera spectacular held on Sydney Harbour
as part of the Australian Bicentennial celebrations. The concert attracted an audience of over 120,000 an Australian record for a live music event.
Their fourth album Wildlife (which was released in 1989) was a live recording of their favourite tracks in a Sydney nightclub (appropriately called Kakadu). The group achieved its strongest combination of ambient and avant-garde experimentation on this album, with tracks like "Highway" and "Deja Vu" evoking the vastness and loneliness of Central Australia.
Gondwanaland's next album, Wide Skies (1992) came after touring the top end of Australia and includes guest performances by Bobby Bunungurr, Cleis Pierce, Maroochy Barambah, Andrew de Teliga, Blair Greenberg, Pee Wee Ferris and Carl Zhang. It was produced by Martin Armiger
and was released by WEA in 1992. Gone were the earthy good time romps and quiet moments of reflection, now complex panoramic chord clusters enveloped the arrangements in an almost overwhelming evocation of the sky and all that happens in and under it. This album's multi-layered textures and moods earned the band even greater critical respect.
McMahon went onto to form a second band, Gondwana, with an emphasis on rhythm and increasingly dominant bass and experimental didge sounds. The band released three albums: Travelling (1994), Xenophon (1998), and Bone Man (2003), with the last two featuring another McMahon innovation: the mouth-held use of a geologist's seismic microphone to amplify the growling subsonic didge dynamics. This approach to music gave McMahon a new audience: the trance/dance crowd. A success evidenced by the placing of a Gondwana tune in the all important opening track position on each of the two volumes of highly successful Australian trance/dance compilation series.
A compilation, Over Gondwanaland, was released in 2005 on the Latisphere World Music label.
Didgeridoo
The didgeridoo is a wind instrument developed by Indigenous Australians of northern Australia around 1,500 years ago and still in widespread usage today both in Australia and around the world. It is sometimes described as a natural wooden trumpet or "drone pipe"...
and bullroarer
Bullroarer
Bullroarer may refer to the following:*Bullroarer , a ritual sound instrument and an ancient communication device used for communicating over greatly-extended distances*"Bullroarer" , a song on Midnight Oil's Diesel and Dust CD...
with western instruments such as synthesizer
Synthesizer
A synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
and guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
.
Biography
GondwanaGondwana
In paleogeography, Gondwana , originally Gondwanaland, was the southernmost of two supercontinents that later became parts of the Pangaea supercontinent. It existed from approximately 510 to 180 million years ago . Gondwana is believed to have sutured between ca. 570 and 510 Mya,...
refers to the hypothetical continental landmass of the prehistoric Mesozoic
Mesozoic
The Mesozoic era is an interval of geological time from about 250 million years ago to about 65 million years ago. It is often referred to as the age of reptiles because reptiles, namely dinosaurs, were the dominant terrestrial and marine vertebrates of the time...
era that included Antarctica, South America, Africa, India and Australia.
Sydney musician Charlie McMahon
Charlie McMahon
Charlie McMahon is an Australian didgeridoo player. The founder of the group Gondwanaland, McMahon was one of the first non-Aboriginal musicians to gain fame as a professional player of the instrument.He is also the inventor of the didjeribone, a sliding didgeridoo made from two lengths of...
formed Gondwanaland Project in order to combine his love for the Australian outback and his didgeridoo playing and was amongst the first musicians to unite western and traditional indigenous music into the nascent genre of world music
World music
World music is a term with widely varying definitions, often encompassing music which is primarily identified as another genre. This is evidenced by world music definitions such as "all of the music in the world" or "somebody else's local music"...
.
McMahon took up the didgeridoo as a teenager and perfected his technique over the years he spent working in Central Australia. Much of McMahon's music was inspired by landscapes, in particular the endless horizons of the desert. To achieve the unique sound McMahon required for his desert tunes, he joined up with synthesiser player Peter Carolan in 1981.
Gondwanaland issued a self-financed cassette, Didgeridu-Synth, in 1983. In 1984 McMahon and Carolan assembled a small studio band of musician friends (including Rob Hirst
Rob Hirst
-External links:*******...
(Midnight Oil
Midnight Oil
Midnight Oil , were an Australian rock band from Sydney originally performing as Farm from 1972 with drummer Rob Hirst, bass guitarist Andrew James and keyboard player/lead guitarist Jim Moginie...
) and Andrew DeTeliga) and recorded the first Gondwanaland album under the title Terra Incognita, which was released on the small independent Hot label, together with the single "Danger"/"Drought" in May, 1984.
In April 1985 McMahon was flown to London to perform with the London Philharmonic Orchestra
London Philharmonic Orchestra
The London Philharmonic Orchestra , based in London, is one of the major orchestras of the United Kingdom, and is based in the Royal Festival Hall. In addition, the LPO is the main resident orchestra of the Glyndebourne Festival Opera...
on the recording of Maurice Jarre's Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome
Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (soundtrack)
- Musicians :* Tina Turner - lead vocals tracks 1-3* The Kings House School Choir - choir tracks 1, 3* Charlie Morgan - drums tracks 1, 3* Nick Glennie-Smith - keyboards tracks 1, 3* Graham Broad - percussion instruments tracks 1, 3...
soundtrack. When he returned a month later an advertisement was placed in a music paper 'Gondwana Wana Drummer'. They received only one response from an energetic multi-format percussionist called Eddy Duquemin. He joined the live Gondwanaland band at which time McMahon decided to make the group his full time occupation.
In November 1985, Midnight Oil
Midnight Oil
Midnight Oil , were an Australian rock band from Sydney originally performing as Farm from 1972 with drummer Rob Hirst, bass guitarist Andrew James and keyboard player/lead guitarist Jim Moginie...
commenced a 26-date local tour starting in Dubbo with Gondwanaland supporting, this gave the newly constituted three piece some 'tour of duty' exposure [if not exactly the type of audience they were hoping to attract].
The Powderworks label in 1986 issued Gondwanaland's second album, Let the Dog Out. It contained a bracket of aggressive, up-tempo numbers followed by two extended compositions, the first of which, "Ephemeral Lakes", later became a regular choice for meditative ambient music compilations.
In 1987, after a year of extensive live work in Sydney and an Arts Council sponsored four week tour of the Northern Territory, the band signed with WEA
Warner Music Group
Warner Music Group is the third largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry, making it one of the big four record companies...
, releasing their third album, self titled Gondwanaland in 1988. It had taken many months to record and while the prolonged touring helped tighten the arrangements some of the groups intense live energy was diluted by the usual studio technique of making a separate recording of each member's instrumental part before a final mix. Gondwanaland however went on to win an ARIA Award
ARIA Music Awards of 1988
The Second Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards was held on 29 March 1988 at the Sheraton Wentworth Hotel in Sydney. Cliff Richard was the host, with Bryan Ferry, Feargal Sharkey and Ian "Molly" Meldrum included as presenters of the 21 awards...
in 1998 for 'Best Indigenous Release'. One track from this collection, "Landmark", is notable as it features the first use of McMahon's invention, the multi-tone, slide didgeridoo called 'didjeribone'.
In November 1988 Gondwanaland performed during the 'Tomita
Isao Tomita
, often known simply as Tomita, is a Japanese music composer, regarded as one of the pioneers of electronic music and space music, and as one of the most famous producers of analog synthesizer arrangements...
Sound Cloud In Sydney - Hymn To Mankind', a $3 million (AUS), Japanese government sponsored, light and sound, opera spectacular held on Sydney Harbour
Port Jackson
Port Jackson, containing Sydney Harbour, is the natural harbour of Sydney, Australia. It is known for its beauty, and in particular, as the location of the Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge...
as part of the Australian Bicentennial celebrations. The concert attracted an audience of over 120,000 an Australian record for a live music event.
Their fourth album Wildlife (which was released in 1989) was a live recording of their favourite tracks in a Sydney nightclub (appropriately called Kakadu). The group achieved its strongest combination of ambient and avant-garde experimentation on this album, with tracks like "Highway" and "Deja Vu" evoking the vastness and loneliness of Central Australia.
Gondwanaland's next album, Wide Skies (1992) came after touring the top end of Australia and includes guest performances by Bobby Bunungurr, Cleis Pierce, Maroochy Barambah, Andrew de Teliga, Blair Greenberg, Pee Wee Ferris and Carl Zhang. It was produced by Martin Armiger
Martin Armiger
John Martin Armiger is an Australian musician, record producer and film/TV composer. He was singer-songwriter and guitarist with Melbourne-based rock band, The Sports during 1978–1981, which had Top 30 hits on the Kent Music Report Singles Chart with, "Don't Throw Stones" , "Strangers on a...
and was released by WEA in 1992. Gone were the earthy good time romps and quiet moments of reflection, now complex panoramic chord clusters enveloped the arrangements in an almost overwhelming evocation of the sky and all that happens in and under it. This album's multi-layered textures and moods earned the band even greater critical respect.
McMahon went onto to form a second band, Gondwana, with an emphasis on rhythm and increasingly dominant bass and experimental didge sounds. The band released three albums: Travelling (1994), Xenophon (1998), and Bone Man (2003), with the last two featuring another McMahon innovation: the mouth-held use of a geologist's seismic microphone to amplify the growling subsonic didge dynamics. This approach to music gave McMahon a new audience: the trance/dance crowd. A success evidenced by the placing of a Gondwana tune in the all important opening track position on each of the two volumes of highly successful Australian trance/dance compilation series.
A compilation, Over Gondwanaland, was released in 2005 on the Latisphere World Music label.
Members
- Charlie McMahonCharlie McMahonCharlie McMahon is an Australian didgeridoo player. The founder of the group Gondwanaland, McMahon was one of the first non-Aboriginal musicians to gain fame as a professional player of the instrument.He is also the inventor of the didjeribone, a sliding didgeridoo made from two lengths of...
- didgeridooDidgeridooThe didgeridoo is a wind instrument developed by Indigenous Australians of northern Australia around 1,500 years ago and still in widespread usage today both in Australia and around the world. It is sometimes described as a natural wooden trumpet or "drone pipe"...
, vocals (1981–1992) - Peter Carolan - synthesiser (1981–1992)
- Eddie Duquemin - drums, percussion (1986–1992)
Gondwanaland/Gondwanaland Project
- Didgeridu-Synth - Independent (1983)
- Terra Incognita - Hot (1984 - as Gondwanaland Project)
- Let the Dog Out - Powderworks (1986)
- Gondwanaland - WEAWarner Music GroupWarner Music Group is the third largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry, making it one of the big four record companies...
(1988) - Wildlife - WEA (1990)
- Wide Skies - WEA (1992)
- Big Land - WEA (1994)
- Over Gondwanaland - Latisphere World Music (2005)
Gondwana
- Traveling (1994)
- Xenophon - Log/Shock (1998)
- Spirit of Gondwana - Latisphere World Music (2000)
- Bone Man - Log/Shock (2003)