Album Review: Wantok Vol1: Sounds Of Australasia And Melanesia

While we may now know what was going down in Africa in the 1970s, few of us know what's happening right now in our own backyard. Wantok Vol 1: Sounds Of Australasia And Melanesia (Wantok) aims to rectify this and surprises via modern electronic sounds, hip hop and dancehall influences alongside the more traditional flute, pipes and string bands from central Australia, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu and Torres Strait Islands. Rising Central Australian stars Iwantja appear alongside the likes of David Bridie, Telek and The Phylonasa Bamboo Band over the course of 20 eclectic regional songs that will stir your soul.