artist: Gondwanaland country of origin: Australia style(s): World beat, ethno ambient, synth pop essential releases: Let The Dog Out (1985, Log Music) Wide Skies (1992, Log Music)

Now disbanded, Gondwanaland was a uniquely Australian world music trio featuring an unlikely combination of didgeridoo, electric keyboards and percussion. Let The Dog Out is a highly atmospheric live recording, Wide Skies a studio album. Equally at home in both settings, the band plays a fabulous brand of colourful, atmospheric music evoking the harshness, beauty and open spaces of the Australian landscape. Tracks vary from upbeat and celebratory to abstract electronic impressionism, and the blending of Western instruments with the didgeridoo - particularly Carolan’s organ melodies - is strikingly effective. Wide Skies proved to be their swansong and it's magnificent, the best of several studio albums. Many of the tracks feature didgeridoo in a less upfront role than before as the band explores new territory with electronics, percussive textures and Eastern atmospheres. Particularly strong are the contributions of guest viola player Cleis Pearce from the group Coolangubra.

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