Abstract:

This article investigates how aural 'images' of aboriginality are technologised and transposed across cultures, with special regard to the didjeridu. In doing this, the study involves consideration of both the traditional background of the didjeridu and its use and the central role of technology in contemporary music. This in turn involves study of producers and performers of didjeridu music working in nontraditional Aboriginal music and their relation to both 'authentic' Australian culture and the "universal pop aesthetic" identified by Simon Frith (1989). This article draws on a range of academic sources, representations and interviews, all of which contribute to an holistic overview of the technologisation and transposition of an aural image of Aboriginality betwixt soundscapes and "humanscapes" (Agar, 1986).

Author: Karl Neuenfeldt