Hand to Earth
A call to open ears - eluding genre, traversing continents, fusing the ancient and the contemporary.
Vocalists Daniel Wilfred and Sunny Kim form the heart of Hand to Earth, which has quickly developed an international reputation as one of Australia’s most distinctive contemporary music ensembles. The quintet’s self-titled debut album won widespread praise and was nominated for an ARIA award in 2022. In 2023 Hand to Earth released MOKUY on ROOM40 with reviews including in The Wire: "A haunting recording… Hand To Earth offer a uniquely organic synthesis of traditional songlines and contemporary classical/improv settings.” Recent international performances include at the iconic Pierre Boulez Saal in Berlin, Jazztopad Poland, Bimhuis Amsterdam, Jeonju International Sori Festival in Korea, and Melbourne International Jazz Festival.
Daniel sings in the language, and is the keeper of Yolngu Manikay (songs), from North East Arnhem Land that can be traced back for over 40,000 years. His is the oldest continuously practised music tradition in the world. Sunny sings in English and Korean intoning gestures that invoke raw elemental forces. Together they sing of the stars, of fire, and of the cooling rain against the drone of David Wilfred’s didgeridoo and atmospheres created by trumpeter and sound artist, Peter Knight, and clarinettist Aviva Endean who draw on the minimalism of Brian Eno and Jon Hassell to create a bed for these beautifully contrasting voices.
A call to open ears - eluding genre, traversing continents, fusing the ancient and the contemporary.
Vocalists Daniel Wilfred and Sunny Kim form the heart of Hand to Earth, which has quickly developed an international reputation as one of Australia’s most distinctive contemporary music ensembles. The quintet’s self-titled debut album won widespread praise and was nominated for an ARIA award in 2022. In 2023 Hand to Earth released MOKUY on ROOM40 with reviews including in The Wire: "A haunting recording… Hand To Earth offer a uniquely organic synthesis of traditional songlines and contemporary classical/improv settings.” Recent international performances include at the iconic Pierre Boulez Saal in Berlin, Jazztopad Poland, Bimhuis Amsterdam, Jeonju International Sori Festival in Korea, and Melbourne International Jazz Festival.
Daniel sings in the language, and is the keeper of Yolngu Manikay (songs), from North East Arnhem Land that can be traced back for over 40,000 years. His is the oldest continuously practised music tradition in the world. Sunny sings in English and Korean intoning gestures that invoke raw elemental forces. Together they sing of the stars, of fire, and of the cooling rain against the drone of David Wilfred’s didgeridoo and atmospheres created by trumpeter and sound artist, Peter Knight, and clarinettist Aviva Endean who draw on the minimalism of Brian Eno and Jon Hassell to create a bed for these beautifully contrasting voices.
