Vocalists Daniel Wilfred and Sunny Kim form the heart of Hand to Earth, which has quickly developed an international reputation as one of Australia’s most distinctive contemporary music ensembles. The quintet’s self-titled debut album has won international praise. In a five star review of the album, Songlines spoke of ‘old cultural ground being respected, while new artistic ground is broken’.
Daniel Wilfred sings in language of North East Arnhem Land, and is the keeper of Yolngu Manikay, a series of songs that can be traced back for over 40,000 years. His is the oldest continuously practised music tradition in the world. Sunny sings in English and Korean intoning gestures that invoke raw elemental forces. Together they sing of the stars, of fire, and of the cooling rain against the drone of David Wilfred’s didgeridoo and atmospheres created by trumpeter and sound artist, Peter Knight, and clarinetist, Aviva Endean, who draw on the minimalism of Brian Eno and Jon Hassell to create a bed for these beautifully contrasting voices.
Daniel Wilfred voice, David Wilfred voice, Sunny Kim voice, Peter Knight trumpet/electronics, Aviva Endean clarinet