Global Grove

Born in Papua New Guinea, with Aboriginal ancestry from the Djaberadjabera people of western Australia, Adrian Fabila Tjupurrula (aka Tjupurru) is a one-man didgeridoo band. Based in Brisbane, he utilises a technology developed by fellow Aussie didge player Charlie McMahon, playing the ‘Didjeribone’, an electronically enhanced drone creation that can slide through notes and tones, much like a trombone. With added sampling and looping effects, Tjupurru creates layered audio textures that owe as much to the rave scene as they do to the traditional uses of didgeridoo.

On Global Grove he continues to mix cultures and technologies, working with New York producer Lee Groves and guests including LA jazz keyboardist Don Grusin, saxman Jeff Coffin, percussionists Ben Walsh and Bobby Singh, and the late guitarist Bob Brozman. The resulting series of hi-tech jams, explores both the Outback and the dance floor with equal fervour. Using the pulsing rhythms of his earthy didge as the basis – augmented by growls, animal sounds and mouth noises – ricocheting electronic beats propel the proceedings ever forward. It's a heady mix, not for the faint-hearted. But for those who want to move their feet as well as their head, Tjupurru's groove is irresistible.