Artists

Ankala

image of Ankala Rhythms from the Outback

The Australian band Ankala was founded by Mark Atkins and his cousin Janawirri Yiparrka. Both the reflexion of Australia's history and the exploration of indigenous sounds are the main subjects of Ankala's music.

Mark Atkins:
He is a descendant of the Yamitji people of Western Australia and of Irish-Australian stock. He is a didgeridoo player, story teller, song writer, drummer and visual artist. Mark is one of the few players who is able to work across most styles of music as a soloist and ensemble player. He has performed around the world, working with such different musicians as Robert Plant and Jimmy Page pf Led Zeppelin, also with Donal Lunney in Ireland and many more. Mark was featured with the London Philharmonic at a Festival Hall concert in London (1996). He is also a prolific instrument maker, making and painting didgeridoos from the logs he collects on trips into the bush.

Yanawirri Yiparrka:
Born on the western side of Australia, he is a descendant of the Yamitji and Wongatha peoples who compromise one of the oldest cultural groups in the world. And it is from this background that Yanawirri draws his inspiration, both as a painter and as a musician. He has been playing the yidaki (didgeridoo) since he was five years old and has developed into one of the most talented contemporary yidaki players in the world. Since appearing as the first yidaki player at the North Sea Jazz Festival, he has played at techno parties in Berlin and Zurich.