East Journey Work With Yothu Yindi On New EP

A momentous cultural shift is occurring in the Northern Territory, and at its centre are Arnhem Land-based supergroup East Journey and their spiritual and musical forebears, Yothu Yindi.

In just more than two years since releasing their acclaimed debut full-length Guwak, the close-knit East Journey -- who roll ten-deep in the flesh -- have been steadily gathering momentum, culminating in this week's release of new single Bright Lights, Big City and its accompanying video.

A product of the collective's time visiting metropolitan centres following Guwak's release, Bright Lights... saw the band -- currently hard at work in the studio on their impending EP of the same name -- collaborate with and mentored by Yothu Yindi originals Ben Hakalitz, Buruka Tau and Stu Kellaway, while they drew on the filmmaking talents of National Indigenous Music Award-winning director Naina Sen, who is renowned for her extensive work for and with Gurrumul.

LA-based producer Steve Salas, who has previously worked with artists such as The Rolling Stones, Aerosmith, Parliament Funk and Rod Stewart as well as being a musical director for American Idol, handled desk duty for the song, which is described as being a guitar-driven ditty backed by yidaki beats and an inescapable groove; an aural confluence of Indigenous and Western sounds that is steadfast in its sense of distinct cultural identity.

East Journey's ties to the Yolngu people and land of the Northern Territory run deeply, with several of the members -- including drummer Gathapura Mununggurr, yidaki player and dancer Ngalkanbuy Mununggurr and backing vocalist Malngay Yunupingu -- having close familial ties to the Yothu Yindi and Gurrumul families.

So close, in fact, that not long after Guwak's release in 2012, while the band were enjoying a solid spike in national radio airplay and busy being nominated for all kinds of awards, East Journey lead singer Rrawun Maymuru wrote the ARIA chart-topping single Bayini for Gurrumul.

Also in 2012, they earned the Best Film Clip prize (for their cut Ngarrpiya), as well as taking out the GR Burarrwanga Memorial Award for services to NT music, at that year's NIMA ceremony. Rrawun was presented with the memorial award by Yothu Yindi founder -- and his grandfather -- Dr Mandawuy Yunupingu.

In many ways, East Journey stand to step into the space left by Yothu Yindi's eventual dispersal, the band not only echoing their forebears' strong cultural and spiritual elements, but also having received the blessing of Dr Yunupingu himself before his passing in 2013.

If you want to ensure that East Journey are nominated for the NIMAs again in 2014, you can have your say for one more day over at the event's website before entries close tomorrow.

Have a squizz at their award-winning clip for Ngarrpiya (2012) below:

The Bright Lights, Big City EP will be released in August. The single is available on iTunes now.