Tjukurpa: The Story/Kulila: The Remixes

With his own career somewhat overshadowed by the commercial success of other Aboriginal songmen like Archie Roach and the late Gurrumul, Pitjantjatjara singer-songwriter Frank Yamma has long been one of Australia's strongest indigenous voices. From his 1990s central desert recordings – both solo and with his band Piranpa – through to his more recent albums Countryman (2010) and Uncle (2014), Yamma's heartfelt lyrics and moving delivery have always set him apart as an exceptional artist. These two conjoined new releases – one a vinyl-only remastered Best Of collection, and the other featuring snippets of both new and older songs, remixed collaboratively with various DJs and producers – offer a welcome overview of Yamma's work to date, along with mostly ambient contemporary mixes.

On Tjukurpa (Dreamtime), classic song-stories in Pitjantjatjara language like the plaintive ‘Ngura Watjilpa’, the lovely ‘Kunka Kutcha’, and English-lyric tracks ‘Make More Spear’ and ‘Coolibah’ are included, along with more recent melodies such as ‘Everybody's Talking’, ‘A Blackman's Crying’ and the heartbreaking ‘She Cried’. Among the excellent Kulila (Listen Up) remixes, the most impressive are Melbourne producer Hesius Dome's ‘Wiru (Beginning of the Day)’, the creative reworking of ‘Pitjuli Wankanye (Medium Guy Mix)’, and two tracks by Kenyan DJ collective EA Wave – ‘Kapi Pulka (Hiribae & Ukweli Mix)’ and ‘Tjintu Kutu (Jinku Mix)’. Melbourne producer Zedsix even manages to combine Yamma's voice with an old Ornette Coleman composition ‘Lonely Woman Pt1 Pt2 Pt3’.

Overseen by Wantok's own supremo producer David Bridie, and available either individually or as a downloaded set, this unique double release is a fitting tribute to a justly revered indigenous Australian songman.