Djoondal: Listen Now
Hear the magical music from ‘Djoondal’ on your favourite platforms!
Listen via Spotify, Apple Music or any music streaming platform.
This collection of brand new Noongar songs formed the backbone of 'Djoondal', an immersive light, laser and drone show that opened Perth Festival 2023 on the shores of Lake Joondalup.
Full of magical beats and soaring vocals, these six tracks take you on a musical journey through the story of ‘Djoondal’, the spirit woman with the long white hair who created the Milky Way above.
Composed and sung by Ian Wilkes with lyric support from Rubeun Yorkshire and in collaboration with award- winning composers Ned Beckley and Josh Hogan these tracks take inspiration from Noongar Futurism. Noongar language backed by synth electronica sounds, glistening beats, colossal drums all wrapped around the magical stickiness of Noongar loops. Music that speaks to the truth telling of our past and a map towards our future with endangered Noongar language at its heart.
Ian Wilkes is a Noongar man with connection to the Wadjuk and Ballardong people. He is a multidisciplinary artist, theatre maker, director, performer, writer, and dancer.
Rubeun Yorkshire is a Wajaari Yamatj, Noongar and Wongi man. He is a visual artist, dancer, stage combat choreographer, and actor.
Ned Beckley and Josh Hogan are both composers and sound designers that run a bespoke studio called Envelope Audio, creating and producing award-winning music and sound for film, TV and immersive events.
About the songs and the lyrics
Listen via Spotify, Apple Music or any music streaming platform.
Djoondal
This song introduces Djoondal the spirit woman with long white hair that created the Milky Way above. It speaks of the night sky, and the magical long white hair.
Djoondal
Spirit woman/ white hair
Djoondal bardunginy
Spirit woman jumping
Djoondal joomber wadamana
spirit woman’s hair, striking
Kedelaka woorl (repeat x5)
Night sky
Meeka Waaliny
Meeka (the moon) felt sad and all alone and He began to cry, his tears fall onto the boodjar (land) and become tiny spirit children.
Meeka worlak koorliny
the moon traveling the sky
Moornak djinangalang bo
seeing blackness everywhere
Kedalaka kaadiny
understanding the night
Warra waaliny (repeat x3)
bad crying
Woola Djinda
A celebration of the stars, they are the spirit children, we are all made up of star stuff.
Boola djinda wokitj djinanginy djinanginy
many stars strike, looking looking
Djinda bilawiny bo bokitj baam baaminy (repeat x3)
shining stars, far away, hit, hitting
Kareba Koolangka
Djoondal carefully places the spirit children in her hair, protecting them from danger. Our children are gentle like flowers, and also have the energy of fire, we all have an instinctual need to protect our children from any harm that is to come.
Aliwa binar
look out, shooting star
Marra barang kaarla mokiny koolangka
hands holding fire like children
Baalap naakal koorlangka kareba
they are small children, gentle
Marra barang djeta mokiny koorlangka
hands holding flower like children
Kareba koorlinga Kareba koorlanga
gentle children, gentle children
Warra Waangk
Warra Wangk is a song of danger, Djoondal is chased by a bad giant. It speaks of the systemic and ongoing injustice of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Australia.
Our identity is still here, we are still strong, they tried to bury us as Aboriginal people…
… but they didn’t know that today that we are the seeds of those who were buried
Warra waangk
bad speak/talk
Mulka marra warra waangk
giant hands, bad speak/talk
Mulka marra warra waangk karung kaadiny
giant hands, bad speak/talk, angry thinking
Boola baaminy
lots of hitting (much violence)
Mulka marra warra waangk karung kaadiny
giant hands, bad speak/talk, angry thinking
Boola baaminy, boola baaminy
lots of hitting (much violence)
Waangk Koondam
Waangk Koondam is a dance song of hope and future. Djoondal jumps into the night sky creating the Milky Way with her long white hair, all the spirit children shoot out across the sky and become the stars. It is a song of speaking our dreams and our truths. It maps out a path for the future, 'we are not the problem, we are the solution'.
Waangk koondam ba djinang yeyi
speak, dream, and see now
Boola binar baam dwonk kaadiny wa (ni ni)
many shooting stars hit, ears understand listen
Djinda bilawiny djoondal boodjar koorliny
stars shining spirit woman travelling the land
Waangk koondam ba djinang yeyi
speak, dream, and see now
Boola binar baam dwonk kaadiny baam
many shooting stars hit, ears understand, hit/sound
Banner image: Djoondal album cover artwork by Rubeun Yorkshire