Drum Drum is an English translation of Gaba Gaba, a village on the South Coast of Papua New Guinea and the birthplace of Dum Drum’s lead singer, Tau Ingram, and heritage of its Musical Director Airileke Ingram.
Now based in Darwin in the far north of Australia, Tau, Airi and the other members of Drum Drum are undoubtedly one of the most innovative contemporary groups in the South Pacific featuring dancers and classically trained musicians from Papua New Guinea, Fiji and Australia.
The members of Drum Drum first formed the band in 1993 in Darwin, where they were all South Pacific University students. Their strong philosophy of cultural maintenance achieved through creativity and their knowledge of traditional Papua New Guinean music eventually gave birth to an exciting new sound. They are now reaching the world with this unique sound spreading their message of cultural diversity and unity.
In 1998 after a series of workshops in both Papua New Guinea and Australia, Drum Drum played to an audience of over a hundred thousand at the opening of the Adelaide Fringe Festival. Since then the group has developed an international following, with overwhelmingly successful tours to the Cook Islands, Singapore, New Caledonia and East Timor.
With over 800 languages and 3000 dialects Papua New Guinea is one of the most diverse countries in the world. From this rich cultural diversity Drum Drum have created a truly unique style of contemporary performance, merging the traditional with the contemporary, South Pacific chants and log drumming with western instruments and music styles.
Dance is also a highlight and Drum Drum?s performances include a number of traditional songs and dances, many of which have never previously been performed outside of Papua New Guinea. Traditional costume and body paint also evoke the ritual origins of the dynamic log drumming and chants.
Drum Drum have traveled extensively through Papua New Guinea and draw on traditional music and dances of various regions including – Bird dances and Kundu drumming from Morobe province, Rain dances and chants from Gaba Gaba coastal village, log drumming (garamut) from the Manus Islands and Fertility and Festive dances from the Trobriand Islands.
Over the years Drum Drum have developed a strong educational program to accompany their performances. They have conducted school and festival workshops across Australia and the United States with much success and are currently working with children in indigenous Aboriginal communities across the Northern Territory.
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.
