Charlie McMahon
Charlie began playing the didjeridu as a child of four, long before it became popular outside its home in the tropical north, and has become the most acclaimed and innovative didjeridu player in Australia. While Charlie reveres the playing of Aboriginal people in their traditional ceremonies, he did not seek to mimic their performances but took the didjeridu to contemporary music. Charlie tuned didjeridus to concert pitch and practiced different styles while jamming with bands at gigs.
Charlie lost his right hand at 16yrs while experimenting with rockets in his back yard. He holds an Honours degree in Government & Economics from Sydney University and in 1975 was appointed to the academic staff, teaching and researching town planning.
In 1978 Charlie was appointed an advisor in the Department of Aboriginal Affairs (now ASTIC) in central Australia, which was moving from administering big settlements to encouraging self determination. While on secondment to the notorious Papunya settlement 200km west of ALICE SPRINGS, Pintubi elders showed Charlie the Western Desert country they called home, and asked if he could find & develop water bores. Charlie resigned from the DAA to work for the Pintubi’s Council and by 1984 a line of water bores extended over 400kms into the GREAT SANDY DESERT and across the NORTHERN TERRITORY border into WESTERN AUSTRALIA.
“Never a dull moment in those seven years in the swag” Charlie says, “I wouldn’t really call them highlights, but some big moments were being bitten by a venomous snake while asleep & the encounter with a group of nine nomadic Pintubi (the so called ‘Lost Tribe) at KIWIRRKURRA, where we were erecting the windmill on the last bore.”
On a break from bore drilling in 1983 Charlie recorded with synthesizer player Peter Carolan the GONDWANALAND PROJECT instrumental album TERRA INCOGNITA. This seminal album showed the didjeridu could be a key component in contemporary music – setting the mood & driving the rhythm.
The experiment worked so well they engaged a percussionist and launched GONDWANALAND as a touring and recording act. As well as pub & club shows GONDWANALAND played epic outback tours. The live energy lead to the up tempo style of LET THE DOG OUT (1996), GONDWANALAND (1988), WILDLIFE (1990) & WIDE SKIES (1992). GONDWANALAND’s Sound performance in 1988 at Sydney Cove was to a crowd of 120,000.
Charlie has been hired as guide by MIDNIGHT OIL, on their DIESEL & DUST tour, WIM WENDERS for the film UNTIL THE END OF THE WORLD, & SHIO TANIMURA, a Japanese novelist. Charlie has recorded on albums by SNAKE FINGER, MIDNIGHT OIL, JANES ADDICTION, HISASHI SHIRAHAMA, ED KUEPPER, TED EGAN, JOHN WILLIAMSON, SUNRISE BAND, DEF FX, ENDORPHIN & KEITH URBAN. In 1994 Charlie toured the USA, Europe, South Africa, Australia & New Zealand with Midnight Oil.
After Gondwanaland ended in 1992 Charlie took a more acoustic direction, performing under the name GONDWANA. With GONDWANA: TRAVELLING SONGS Charlie broke new ground as a producer. TRAVELLING had significant airplay with songs like CORRUPT WOBBLE, PIG WOBBLE & RIDE making the sound more accessible. Arnhem Land singer BOBBY BUNUGGURR co-wrote four songs and is Ganal Bingu lyrics reinforce the indigenous character of the music. “The didj doesn’t wander and jump around. It sets the groove and travels.”
The 7th album CHARLIE McMahon: TJILATJILA (1996) is original for its use of multi tonic didj playing techniques which enable the didjeridus to play melodic movements & chords that are the basis for string and piano arrangements. The acoustic direction led to the track SWARM arranged for orchestra and performed by Charlie with the Sydney Youth Orchestra at the official Australia Day Lunch 1999. The European year that year saw Charlie sharing the bill with Dr. JOHN, FEMI KUTI, GARBAGE & JOHN CALE.
For the album GONDWANA: XENOPHON (1998) Charlie invented and used a SEISMIC audio system – the FACE BASS. The Face Bass gives the didjeridu a more complex and deeper sound. Produced by Paul McDermott and Ed Duquemin, re-mastered by CARLOS PERON XENOPHON has writer involvement with traditional Arnhem Land singers Bobby Bunuggurr, Djoli Liawonga & Tom Kelly. In 2000 GONDWANA performed at the Australian Pavilion at World Expo in Hanover, Germany and the opening ceremony of the Sydney Paralympic Games.
GONDWANA: BONE MAN (2002) has driving didjeridu dance rhythms. In some tracks there are five didjeridu tracks. The didjeridu & vocals are so strong with the FACE BASS there has been little need for syth, keyboard or guitar sounds.
The power of the Face Bass Seismic Audio System is lifted by Charlie’s use of the pitch shift Didjeribone™.
Log Music. ABN:95468162086
PO Box 212, Rozelle NSW 2039, Australia.
Email: logmusic@alwaysonline.net.au Web: www.charliemcmahon.com
