Music of Australia

 Australian Music

Australia, much like the United States, boasts a culturally diverse musical landscape. Australian music artists create and perform Australian music in all genres and styles, including pop, rock, folk/bush music, country, classical, and music of the indigenous Australian people (natives who have lived on the land for thousands of years before colonization), the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population.

One cannot simply describe a generalized "Australian music sound" or a universally applicable list of style characteristics. Doing so would be like trying to compare American jazz to American country music. Aboriginal and traditional bush music are however at the heart of Australian music and work to inform the sounds of the continent's most popular genres. The most distinctive characteristic of traditional Australian music is the use of folk instruments such as the didgeridoo (Australia's most well-known folk instrument), and the passing down of traditional songlines or melodies. Songs styles and melodies of the indigenous Australian population date back as far as 60,000 years ago, and have a dreamlike, trance-inducing quality.

Indigenous musical traditions of the Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders, as well as bush music (folk songs of the Europeans who colonized Australia), are derived from generations of musical traditions that are unique to the nation. Although Australian musicians within popular music genres such as pop and rock continue to make music that is known and loved, it is the country's folk traditions that distinguish its music from the rest of the world.

Traditional Australian Music

Traditional Australian music refers to the musical sounds and songs of the indigenous people of the nation, or the music of the indigenous Aboriginal people of continental Australia as well as the indigenous people of the Torres Strait Islands (a 274 island archipelago of the northern coast of Australia).

The Aboriginal and Islander communities exist as hundreds of clans with different traditions and customs, and the music of these groups reflects the diversity among the Aborigines. It is extremely important to note that many of these musical customs are considered closed cultural practices, which are secret or sacred practices that are typically reserved for only members of the culture of which the practice originated.

Traditional Australian music and aboriginal music are centered around vocal sounds and simple instrumentation, harmonies, and cyclical melodies. Music is primarily made by men, although women are permitted to perform as vocal backing in certain ceremonies. Performances of traditional music are typically seen at sacred ceremonies, rites of passage, and funerals. The didgeridoo is by far the most distinctive sound within the texture of traditional Australian music. It is also the sound that sets the music apart from any other folk standard in the world.

Aboriginal Australians have spiritual and ritualistic traditions that are tied to the idea of dreaming. The songs of "The Dreaming" or "Dreamtime" ceremonies are said to help those participating in the ceremony connect with their dreams in a spiritual way. Songlines, which are song cycles of traveler's song and cyclical melodies, are often accompanied or sung through the didgeridoo instrument.

Because the folk sounds of traditional Australian music are so unique, it is a well-known folk music type within the world music community. The Aboriginal and Islander communities have produced many well-known and influential recording artists, including:

• Mandawuy Yunupingu
• Djalu Gurruwiwi
• Yothu Yindi
• Ganga Giri

Aboriginal Musical Instruments in Australia

Aboriginal musicians incorporate a variety of aboriginal musical instruments, Australian wind instruments, and percussion instruments into their songs and ceremonial music. The most well-known of these instruments is the Aboriginal Australian instrument the didgeridoo, among others.

The didgeridoo (didjeridu) is a large wind instrument made from a single piece of a hollowed-out eucalyptus tree trunk. Typically the didgeridoo is cylindrical, but can also be constructed in a conical shape (wide at one end). The term didgeridoo is a non-Aboriginal onomatopoeia, a word created to sound like the noise it represents. Depending on the clan, the aboriginal word for the instrument could be yidaki, mago, or mandala.

The didgeridoo is the most famous musical instrument of Australian music.

Didgeridoo performers produce sound by placing the blowing end around their mouth and buzzing their lips together while blowing into a beeswax-rubbed mouthpiece. The beeswax acts as a smooth coating on the mouthpiece for ease of playing. Often players use a method of performance called circular breathing, which is a technique of breathing in through the nose and out through the mouth simultaneously. This allows the didgeridoo performer to play extremely long song lines without needing to breathe and interrupt the line.

The primary percussion instrument in Aboriginal music is the clapsticks (Bilma or Wirri in Aborigine). Generally carved from hardwood, these matching twin sticks can be decorated ornately or have a simple design. The performer will either slap the body of the didgeridoo with a clapstick to create an integrated simultaneous rhythm or tap the two sticks together if playing independently.

The bullroarer is one of the most sacred instruments of the Australian Aborigines. It consists of an elongated flat wooden disc attached to a rope. The performer of the bullroarer will spin the disc in the air vigorously, which makes a loud, distinct humming sound. Although much knowledge of how the instrument is specifically used within the context of Aboriginal ceremonial rites (because the playing of it in certain situations is a closed practice), it is speculated that the bullroarer might be used for communication between long distances, for religious ceremonies, or burial ceremonies to honor the dead.

With that in mind, we’ve come up with a list of the 10 greatest Australian artists and bands that formed this century.

1. Tame Impala

The psychedelic music project with hits like “Let it Happen” and “The Less I Know the Better” tops our list of Australia’s greatest artists. Their unique sound and technologically driven records helped made them VICE’s Artist of the Decade. With 13 Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards (ARIA) wins and 29 nominations, you’ll be hard-pressed to find an Australian act that has made more of a difference to modern synth/psychedelic pop.

2. Sia

Sia has written songs for the likes of Rihanna, Celine Dion, Katy Perry, Alicia Keys, Adele and Beyonce – which, in itself, would be enough to get her on this list. However, as a singer in her own right, Sia has been in the spotlight with international successes like “Chandelier”, “Elastic Heart” and “Cheap Thrills”.

3. Flume

Often dubbed one of the great experimenters of our lifetime, Flume is perhaps the greatest Australian electronica/future-bass export of our lifetime. Flume shot to international recognition with his first self titled studio album Flume. Today the double-platinum accredited DJ has countless Australian and international music awards and nominations including twelve ARIA wins, a Grammy and a Billboard music award nomination.

4. Guy Sebastian

Few Aussie musicians are known around Australia as much as Guy Sebastian. Australian Idol’s inaugural winner in 2003 has gone on to judge The X Factor and The Voice with the best sports betting websites in Australia currently picking him to be this year’s winning judge. In 2012, Sebastian’s song “Battle Scars” went 11x platinum and to date, he has sixty-five platinum certifications and is a Member of the Order of Australia.

5. Amy Shark

One of the hottest Australian artists right now, Amy Shark’s 2016 song “Adore” peaked at number three on the ARIA Singles Chart as well as making the second spot on the Triple J hottest 100. Despite only rising to international prominence in 2016, the pop artist has eight ARIAs and twenty-two nominations.

6. Empire of the Sun

You may not be familiar with Empire of the Sun’s entire discography but their debut album, and hit single with the same name – Walking on a Dream – shot the psychedelic electronic-pop duo to international fame peaking at number ten on the ARIA Singles Chart and sixty-four on the UK Singles Chart. The band, known for their flamboyant and elaborate live performances has eight ARIA’s and nineteen nominations, eleven of which were for Walking on A Dream which also won Album of the Year.

7. Jet

Despite breaking up in 2012 (and then re-forming again in 2016), Jet is one of Australia’s biggest and best rock bands of the last 20 years. Jet’s 2003 Album Get Born is perhaps their most well-known project with “Are you Gonna Be My Girl” their biggest track. The song reached 29 on the Billboard Hot 100 and Get Born went 8x platinum in Australia as well as scooping up four ARIAs.

8. Gotye

Often thought of as the ultimate Aussie one-hit-wonder, Gotye’s discography goes far beyond the success of his 2011 song “Somebody That I Used To Know”. While this track was without a doubt the pop artist’s biggest success, amassing three Grammys, two ARIAs and countless other awards, Gotye has gone on to found the indie-pop Trio The Basics and received awards and nominations for his concerts and other albums.

9. Courtney Barnett

Courtney Barnett is one of the more unique artists on our list. The indie/alt-rock performer has received a Grammy nomination for Best New Artist and a Brit Award nomination for International Female Solo Artist. Well-known for her inexpressive singing style and rambling lyrics, personified in her hit song “Avant Gardener”, Barnett has six ARIA wins and twenty nominations.

10. Matt Corby

Matt Corby is the least decorated of all the artists on our list, with only three ARIAs and twelve nominations, as well as a variety of smaller prizes and accolades. Matt Corby began his career with Australian Idol, where he finished runner-up, although he regrets the experience for what it did to his image. It wasn’t until his fourth EP, Into the Flame, that Matt Corby broke into national recognition, the album went 6x platinum. His singles “Brother” and “Resolution” both won ARIAs for Song of the Year.