Outback

Biography
by Linda Kohanov
Outback's ebullient, accessible, yet highly irregular style could be described as "tribal new-acoustic." The group is anchored by two multi-instrumentalists, Graham Wiggins and Martin Craddick, who in 1988 met by chance in Oxford and began playing as a duo all over England. A former jazz pianist, Wiggins taught himself to play the didgeridoo (sometimes spelled didjeridu), an Australian aboriginal wind instrument made of a hollowed-out wooden tube. Through the use of various techniques (including circular breathing), the instrument produces an earthy, gritty, and at times almost electronic sound. Curiously enough, Wiggins's didgeridoo takes on a folksy quality similar to the resonant twang of a mouth harp when combined with Craddick's acoustic guitar and mandolin strummings. After the success of their first international release Baka, the two refined and expanded upon this unusual sound by adding the talents of Sagar N'Gom on West African percussion and Ian Campbell on drums. Outback's latest release, Dance the Devil Away also features French fiddle player Paddy LeMercier.