Winanjjikari Music Centre

29/05/2025

Winanjjikari Music Centre, the musical arm of Barkly Regional Arts, plays a significant role in providing sound support and mentorship at Bush Bands Business and Bush Bands Bash each year, in collaboration with and various other music collectives across the Northern Territory.

If you're a bush band based in the Barkly Region and are interested in applying to perform at Bush Bands but need assistance with the application process, writing a bio for your band, or collating and engineering your recordings, feel free to reach out to Winanjjikari Music Centre for support!

28/05/2025

Check out our impromptu live session with The Country Gospel Band at the Winanjjikari Studio!

The session features Kelvin Ladd on guitar and vocals, Derek Beasley on guitar, Ivan Ross on bass, and Marcus Finlay on drums.

Led by Kelvin, The Country Gospel Band is a close-knit, rotating group of friends who have been performing together for over twenty years across the Barkly region of Central Northern Territory. Having grown up around the Epenarra community, surrounded by cattle stations and mustering life, they sing in Alyawarr and bring a genuine authenticity to their traditional country gospel sound.

Kelvin Ladd - Guitar and vocalsDerek Beasely - GuitarIvan Ross - BassMarcus Finlay - Drums

12/05/2025

Winanjjikari Music Centre and Barkly Regional Arts are excited to present the music video for ADR's release, Thinking About My Home.
This project was a collaborative effort between Winanjjikari and the band, as we explored DIY cinematography together.
A big thank you to the band for showing us their favourite local spots and to the Ampilatwatja School for their ongoing support of local musicians—providing rehearsal spaces and hosting music events—and to the wider community for their warmth and hospitality.
Thanks to Matt D'Penguin and Amaziah Club for all of their on the ground coordination!!

Check out the full album on your favourite streaming services!

Arlywarre Desert Reggae “Thinking About My Home”Written by Maxfield HolmesDirected by Arlywarre Desert Reggae & Winanjjikari Music Centre Production Company:...

07/12/2024

Winanjjikari Music Centre Presents: WMC - 10ANTS

The Winanjjikari Music Centre (WMC) is thrilled to announce the release of 10ANTS, a vibrant new album showcasing the creativity and collaborative spirit of our talented collective.

WMC has long been a hub of collaboration, where musicians from Tennant Creek and its surrounding communities come together to create. Between recording sessions for community projects, our dedicated staff channel their passion into crafting their own compositions. These tracks reflect an ongoing pursuit of innovation, honing production skills, and exploring fresh approaches to music-making, all while paying homage to the sounds of the central deserts of the Northern Territory.

Experimentation and the exploration of new sonic landscapes are at the heart of our process, brought to life with a spirit of laughter and camaraderie. 10ANTS offers a unique glimpse into 2024’s creative journey, capturing vignettes crafted in moments between community visits, event planning, and the production of WMC’s extensive body of work.

Grab your copy from December 4th on the Winanjjikari Bandcamp page:
https://winanjjikarimusiccentre.bandcamp.com/ Or listen on all streaming platforms
Also available on .org.au to community radio broadcasters!
fm

04/12/2024

Winanjjikari Music Centre Presents: WMC - 10ANTS

The Winanjjikari Music Centre (WMC) is thrilled to announce the release of 10ANTS, a vibrant new album showcasing the creativity and collaborative spirit of our talented collective.

WMC has long been a hub of collaboration, where musicians from Tennant Creek and its surrounding communities come together to create. Between recording sessions for community projects, our dedicated staff channel their passion into crafting their own compositions. These tracks reflect an ongoing pursuit of innovation, honing production skills, and exploring fresh approaches to music-making, all while paying homage to the sounds of the central deserts of the Northern Territory.

Experimentation and the exploration of new sonic landscapes are at the heart of our process, brought to life with a spirit of laughter and camaraderie. 10ANTS offers a unique glimpse into 2024’s creative journey, capturing vignettes crafted in moments between community visits, event planning, and the production of WMC’s extensive body of work.

Grab your copy from December 4th on the Winanjjikari Bandcamp page:
https://winanjjikarimusiccentre.bandcamp.com/
Also available on .org.au to community radio broadcasters!
fm

26/11/2024

From Winanjjikari Music Centre in Tennant Creek comes the debut album from the Arlywarre Desert Reggae band, Go Crazy. Hailing from the small community of Ampilatwatja in the heart of the central deserts of the Northern Territory, Arlywarre Desert Reggae honed their talents on basketball courts, at community gigs, and during sports carnivals. This group of friends has crafted an electrifying fusion of desert rock and reggae.

Drawing on stories of home, heartbreak, and celebration, Arlywarre Desert Reggae channels the energy and resilience of their community into every performance. Their music is a heartfelt expression of life in the remote desert and an irresistible invitation to let loose on the dance floor.

This album will be available tomorrow the 27th November! Stream or grab yourself a copy from the Winanjjikari : https://winanjjikarimusiccentre.bandcamp.com/

.org.au

23/11/2024

Barkly Regional Arts team spent the last week in Mparntwe/Alice Springs with artists and arts workers from the Territory discussing ways to keep NT's unique artistic diversity strong and lasting at the Meeting of Arts Professionals conference, hosted by ARTS NT.

WMC's Laurence Williams spoke on a panel- Connecting Culture: underscoring the vital role of Aboriginal and multicultural stories, honouring their place at the heart of the Territory’s arts and cultural identity. 🤩

12/11/2024

🌟 Alpurrurulam is the place to be 🌟
WMC spent a week in Alpurrurulam working with musicians on recording and production skills and introducing basic sound making to kids.
The week wrapped up with a community concert and sausage sizzle at the basketball courts under a gorgeous desert sunset!

05/11/2024

⚡️We've got some exciting news to share⚡️

The sounds of Borroloola will feature at in 2025 with Sandridge Band heading to the Western Australian music festival next year.

Nannup Music Festival presents an eclectic mix of live acts each year, set to the stunning bush backdrop of Western Australia’s South West and the small town atmosphere of Nannup. In 2025 the festival will run from 28 Jan - 3 Mar.

29/10/2024

Check out Barkly Community Gospel and their release Compilation Vol. 1. They are one of the many talented Barkly-based artists featured on the Winanjjikari Music Centre Bandcamp page. Explore our collection of releases and grab a personal copy to support our local musicians, or find our artists on streaming services.

The Barkly Arts Community Gospel Vol. 1 is a compilation of country-gospel choir and solo recordings collected from the Alyawarr, Warumungu and Warlpiri language groups within the Barkly Region. Gospel has historically served as an important meeting point for ritual and companion-ship within the Barkly community. These compositions act as a point of healing and guidance that fosters unity among individuals and provides a shared space for the collective pursuit of hope. Featuring performances by the Canteen Creek Community Choir, Sandra Jones Morrison, Mary Anne Butcher, and more.

23 track album

21/10/2024

Another great Friday afternoon with Alywarra Desert Reggae and the TC community at the basketball courts 🎉☀️

06/07/2024

We're very excited to announce to addition of Ray Dimakarri Dixon to this year's BIGSOUND lineup! Come by and say hello if you are attending BIGSOUND in September.

Ray Dimakarri Dixon grew up singing in one of the world’s oldest languages, Mudburra, now only spoken by 50 people. Originally a member of Kulimindini Band,...