https://www.rrr.org.au/subscriber-giveaways/crown-and-countryCloses 17 August 2025, 11 pm
Win a copy of Crown and Country AOTW
Crown and Country is a remarkable collaboration between Warlpiri elder Wanta Jampijinpa Pawu-Kurlpurlurnu and producer Marc "Monkey" Peckham. Wanta features alongside his father, Jerry Jangala Patrick OAM, a First Contact elder and revered Warlpiri songman. Their voices are woven into hypnotic dub-infused soundscapes, bridging spoken word and ceremonial song with electronic music
The project springs from a decade-long friendship that began at Lajamanu's Milpirri Festival, where Wanta serves as cultural leader and Monkey as resident composer. Over the years, Monkey captured candid conversations with Wanta about history, law and daily life. Extracts of these are woven throughout the album, lending warmth and wisdom. As a fully initiated custodian of Warlpiri knowledge, Wanta brings profound cultural insight, while his father Jerry anchors the work with traditional Jukurrpa (Dreaming) songs, grounding the work in ceremony.
Musically, Crown and Country draws on the minimalist dub-techno pulse of early-2000s Berlin electronica. Peckham's production layers hypnotic, bass-heavy grooves with traditional singing and field recordings from the desert. Beyond the music, Crown and Country forms part of a broader storytelling vision. Filmmaker James Gillot captured the collaboration, creating a companion film that deepens the album's invitation to listen, learn, and contemplate.
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