Dem Mob, stylised as DEM MOB, is an Aboriginal hip hop group from the APY lands in northern South Australia, the first to rap in the Pitjantjatjara language.
Starting out as a duo comprising Jontae Lawrie and Elisha Umuhuri, the young rappers, were partially inspired by Baker Boy, with their collaboration was instigated as part of a school project at Ernabella Anangu school. [1] It came about partly to keep Lawrie (the younger of the duo) in school, and provide support for him following a tragic death in the family. [2] In a region dominated by reggae music, they wanted to inspire the local youth with something different. The pair was brought by Northern Sound System to WOMADelaide in March 2020 to be recorded while performing live in front of an audience [3] [4] for the first time. [5] Later that year they were joined by Nason Lawrie. All three are from Pukatja (although Jontae lived in Ceduna as a young child [6] ) and have since released several music videos and performed live at festivals in Adelaide and Alice Springs. They rap in English and Pitjantjatjara languages, [1] the first to do so in this Aboriginal Australian language, [7] and have family ties to members of No Fixed Address, Yothu Yindi and Coloured Stone. [5]
The musical profile afforded by Dem Mob has given Umuhuri the opportunity to connect with his biological family. He was born in New Zealand before being adopted by a family living in the Northern Territory as a two-week-old baby, and in his early years travelled around with his adoptive family as his parents followed employment opportunities. When Dem Mob were performing in Alice Springs in 2022, one of his cousins was sent from New Zealand to watch them by his biological mother. Umuhuri appreciates finding the connection to his homeland and family roots, but sees himself as a Pitjantjatjara / Yankunytjatjara man, as he was brought up in this culture. [8]
Dem Mob performed at Tandanya for the Treaty Festival (part of NAIDOC Week) in November 2020. [9]
In January 2021, the band, along with nine other groups and solo artists, were selected to participate in a year-long program of music workshops and other activities, in the WOMADelaide X NSS Academy. [7]
In April/May 2021, Dem Mob performed at the Wide Open Space festival in Alice Springs. [5]
In July 2021, Dem Mob were scheduled to perform at Tandanya as part of the Illuminate Adelaide festival, at an event called Kinara (meaning "moon" in the Pintupi language); [10] [11] however, the state's first 7-day lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic took place from 21 to 27 July, and most of the Illuminate Adelaide events had to be cancelled or postponed. [12]
In August 2021 the band released "Still No Justice", which talks about the Black Lives Matter movement, Aboriginal deaths in custody and racism in Australia, and urges Aboriginal youth growing up in Alice Springs to turn away from crime, as they grow up to be the new community elders. [6] The song was inspired by the shooting death of Kumanjayi Walker at the hands of Northern Territory police officer Zachary Rolfe in 2019. [8]
In mid-2022 Dem Mob was selected for the second round of WOMADelaide X NSS Academy, [13] [14] and in March 2023 performed at WOMADelaide. [15] [8]
In May 2023 it was announced that DEM MOB would be playing at the 2023 Primavera Sound music festival in Barcelona, Spain, which runs from 29 May to 4 June. They were invited, along with musicians from the Centre for Aboriginal Studies in Music (commonly known as CASM), by Primavera Pro director Elena Barreras, after she had toured Adelaide as part of the promotion of Adelaide as a UNESCO City of Music and seen them perform at WOMADelaide. [16] Making their international debut there, they were the first Aboriginal band to play at the festival. [2]
In 2024, they will travel to New York City to play at the Lincoln Center. [17]
Dem Mob have also performed at the Art Gallery of South Australia in its "First Fridays" series, and have supported J-MILLA and Electric Fields. [5]
Dem Mob work in schools in the APY lands and Ceduna, helping students to learn through music and improving their literacy skills. [17]
Indigenous music of Australia comprises the music of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples of Australia, intersecting with their cultural and ceremonial observances, through the millennia of their individual and collective histories to the present day. The traditional forms include many aspects of performance and musical instrumentation that are unique to particular regions or Aboriginal Australian groups; and some elements of musical tradition are common or widespread through much of the Australian continent, and even beyond. The music of the Torres Strait Islanders is related to that of adjacent parts of New Guinea. Music is a vital part of Indigenous Australians' cultural maintenance.
WOMADelaide is an annual four-day festival of Music, Arts and Dance, which was first held in 1992 in Botanic Park, Adelaide, South Australia. One of many WOMAD festivals held around the world, it is a four-day event that presents a diverse selection of music from artists around the world, as well as side events like talks and discussions.
Aṉangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara, also known as APY, APY Lands or the Lands, is a large, sparsely-populated local government area (LGA) for Aboriginal people, located in the remote north west of South Australia. Some of the Aṉangu (people) of the Western Desert cultural bloc, in particular Pitjantjatjara, Yankunytjatjara and Ngaanyatjarra peoples, inhabit the Lands.
Amata is an Aboriginal community in the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Lands in South Australia, comprising one of the six main communities on "The Lands".
Umuwa is an Aboriginal community in Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara in South Australia, serving as an administrative centre for the six main communities on "The Lands", as well as the outlying communities.
Pukatja is an Aboriginal community in the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Lands in South Australia, comprising one of the six main communities on "The Lands".
Indulkana is an Aboriginal community in the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Lands in South Australia, comprising one of the six main communities on "The Lands". At the 2016 Australian census, Indulkana had a population of 256.
The APRA Music Awards in Australia are annual awards to celebrate excellence in contemporary music, which honour the skills of member composers, songwriters, and publishers who have achieved outstanding success in sales and airplay performance.
The Tandanya National Aboriginal Cultural Institute, usually referred to as Tandanya, is an art museum located on Grenfell Street in Adelaide, South Australia. It specialises in promoting Indigenous Australian art, including visual art, music and storytelling. It is the oldest Aboriginal-owned and -run cultural centre in Australia.
Danzal James Baker, known professionally as Baker Boy, is a Yolngu rapper, dancer, artist, and actor. Baker Boy is known for performing original hip-hop songs incorporating both English and Yolŋu Matha and is one of the most prominent Aboriginal Australian rappers.
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Tarnanthi is a Festival of Contemporary Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art held in Adelaide, South Australia, annually. Presented by the Art Gallery of South Australia (AGSA) in association with the South Australian Government and BHP. It is curated by Nici Cumpston.
The South Australian Music Awards, also known as SA Music Awards, commonly SAM Awards, formerly Fowler's Live Music Awards (FLMA), are annual awards that exist to recognise, promote and celebrate excellence in the South Australian contemporary music industry. They take place in Adelaide, South Australia every November. The venue has varied over the years.
Elsy Wameyo, also known as ELSY, is a Kenyan-born Australian singer-songwriter, mostly singing in the hip hop genre. Based in Adelaide, South Australia, Wameyo was awarded Young Kenyan of the Year in 2018, and won People's Choice Best Hip Hop Award at the annual South Australian Music Awards in 2019.
The Centre for Aboriginal Studies in Music (CASM), originally founded as the Adelaide Aboriginal Orchestra in 1972, is an educational centre focused on Indigenous Australian music based at the University of Adelaide. It is one of three units that make up the National Centre for Aboriginal Language and Music Studies, and is located within the Elder Conservatorium.
J-Milla, often styled J-MILLA, is an Aboriginal Australian hip hop musician. He was born as Jacob Nichaloff in Darwin in the Northern Territory.
Betty Muffler is an Aboriginal Australian artist and ngangkari (healer). She is a senior artist at Iwantja Arts, in Indulkana in Aṉangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara, South Australia, known for a series of works on large linen canvases called Ngangkari Ngura .
Rhyan Clapham, known by his stage name Dobby, is a Filipino-Aboriginal Australian musician. He describes himself as a "drapper", a contraction of rapper and drummer, although he also plays other instruments and is also a composer. He sometimes raps with the indie rock band Jackie Brown Jr, but on his own is mainly a hip hop artist.
Northern Sound System (NSS) is a dedicated youth centre focused on music, broadcasting, and other creative industries, located in Elizabeth, a northern suburb of Adelaide, South Australia.
Sally Scales is an Australian activist and artist. She is an ethnic Pitjantjatjara from Pipalyatjara, South Australia in the northwestern part of the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara lands (APY).