Tjupurru

Brisbane-based Tjupurru is a proud descendant of the Djabera Djabera tribe of the West Australian Kimberleys. Born in Port Moresby Papua New Guinea and settling in Cairns, Tjupurru began playing Didjeridu through a vacuum cleaner pipe in boarding school. His real love affair with the instrument came when he discovered the music of iconic Australian act Gondwanaland, and didj player Charlie McMahon in particular.
Tjupurru plays a unique slide Didjeridu invented by Charlie McMahon, named "The Didjeribone" because it can slide through different notes and tones - a cross between a didj and a trombone. He picks up his sound through a device called the "Face Bass", a seismic sensor implanted inside his mouth. With the addition of sampling and electronic effects, Tjupurru has enabled himself to perform as a one man band creating live samples and looping them to create songs and soundscapes that criss-cross musical genre.
His live show is a must see. This is an artist bringing something unique to the current music scene. Tjupurru is mixing cultures, technologies and sounds from over thousands of years to serve up and dish out what he describes as 21st century Didjetronica.
Tjupurru's trajectory has been fast on the rise since being discovered at the Big Sound Festival in Brisbane in 2006. 2007 began with an invitation from Airto Moreira (the man who brought Latin music to the world via Miles Davis, John Coltrane etc) to collaborate live onstage at the Jazz in the Domain for The Sydney Festival in front of 120,000 people, a mind-blowing experience for any performer, let alone someone so new to the big stage. 2008 saw Tjupurru and son Tjakamarra open the Rhythm Festival at Woodford Folk Festival alongside Babylon Circus, Shooglenifty and Circle of Rhythm.
He has toured with or supported amazing international artists such as Kaki King (USA), Leo (France), That One Guy (USA), Pitch Black (NZ), Bela Flek and the Flecktones (USA), and performed with Marissa Monte (Brazil) over two nights in the Concert Hall at The Sydney Opera House.
Tjupurru has also been invited to perform at festivals across the country, including Woodford Folk Festival, The Dreaming, Bellingen Global Carnival, Wollumbin, Festival of the Sun, Earthdance and more. Over the past year, Tjupurru has gone global with performances at Femmes Funk in New Caledonia, Japan, New Zealand and the USA to come...all of this with MySpace as his main promotional tool.Tjupurru's debut EP, Stompin' Ground, was released in September 2007. Recorded with legendary producer Buchman (Blue King Brown, Whitlams, and Macromantics). Featuring 5 great tracks, the EP comes complete with bonus mini documentary EPK. Selection in the Top 10 World Charts on groundbreaking American radio station KCRW was the first stirring of international success. Later this month, Tjupurru will travel to the US to perform live on renowned program 'Morning Becomes Eclectic', as well as doing a 'KCRW Presents' gig in Santa Monica.
Tjupurru is also a community leader within Brisbane's Northside Murri Community and he provides teaching and a positive community role model for local indigenous and non indigenous musicians and artists. The response of kids to the Didjeribone inspires Tjupurru to continue his quest to have the unique sound of the Didjeridu made known and more accessible throughout the world.
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