We're loving the retro 90s sound and the dynamic video of this Treaty song remixed by
Filthy Lucre.
Yothu Yindi (
Yolngu for "child and mother") are an Australian musical group with Aboriginal and
balanda (non-Aboriginal) members formed in 1986. The group were highly active established the
Yothu Yindi Foundation in 1990 to promote Yolngu cultural development, and produced the annual
Garma Festival of Traditional Cultures and as of May 2007 ran a
Dilthan Yolngunha (Healing Place). We like the way they use
bilma (ironwood clapsticks), hear
the original below the remix with its potent English lyrics.
(Then Prime Minister) Bob Hawke visited the Territory. He went to this gathering in Barunga. And this is where he made a statement that there shall be a treaty between black and white Australia. Sitting around the camp fire, trying to work out a chord to the guitar, and around that camp fire, I said, "Well, I heard it on the radio. And I saw it on the television." That should be a catchphrase. And that's where 'Treaty' was born.
—Mandawuy Yunupingu, lead singer and guitarist Yothu Yindi 8 July 2004
Melbourne-based dance remixers
Filthy Lucre's Robert Goodge and Gavin Campbell adapted the song, their version peaked at No. 11 on the ARIA (Australia's BBC) singles charts. In May 2001 the
Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA), as part of its 75th Anniversary celebrations, named "Treaty" as one of the Top 30 Australian songs of all time. In October 1992, the then (another) Prime Minister government awarded Yothu Yindi a $30,000 grant but sadly the money was only used to travel to New York, where the band performed at the
UN launch of International Year for the World's
Indigenous People. Far better if they had performed at a concert with wider impact, a wider audience and less marginalised programming.
Lead singer and guitar player Yunupingu said he drank up to four cartons of alcohol a day.
"Alcohol
was a big influence in my life. I didn't know what harm it did to my
body. Before I knew, it was too late".
You'd think someone would've had the wherewithal to tell him. In December 2012 Yothu Yindi were inducted into the
ARIA Hall of Fame, with
Peter Garrett (former member of
Midnight Oil).
In June 2013 Mandawuy Yunupingu died of renal failure. While languages of the aboriginal are disappearing songs like this help us to consider a culture different form ours, which was and still is mostly just brushed aside.
Music Editor, at the Brooklyn Rail and as a freelancer has written/edited/reported for the Wire, The Register, The Believer, Rumpus, Flavorwire, Village Voice, Mute, Semiotext(e), Yeti, American Book Review, Sound Collector, Chicago Reader and more.
Wadu said that Jah Wobble was responsible for introducing him to the culture of North
Africa and Middle East with his basslines and that his "I'm an Algerian"
is one of Radu's favourite tracks of all time. Radu also wrote us that as The Tabernacle plays such an important part in British musical history and is a site of cultural heritage, he'd like to be there to see it live. 
