David Ross Hope Bridie is an Australian contemporary musician and songwriter. He was a founding mainstay member of

world music "World music" is an English phrase for styles of music from non-English speaking countries, including quasi-traditional, Cross-cultural communication, intercultural, and traditional music. World music's broad nature and elasticity as a musical ...

band Not Drowning, Waving which released six studio albums to critical acclaim. He also formed a chamber pop group, My Friend the Chocolate Cake, which released seven studio albums. During his solo career he has issued five studio albums and worked on soundtracks for Australian films and television like '' The Man Who Sued God'', '' Remote Area Nurse, Secret City'', and '' The Circuit''. Bridie is the founder and artistic director of Wantok Musik Foundation; a not-for-profit music label that records, releases and promotes culturally infused music from indigenous Australia, Melanesia and Oceania. In 2019 he received the Don Banks Music Award.

Musical Biography

David Bridie was born in 1962 and grew up in the Melbourne suburb of Deepdene with three siblings. He attended Camberwell High School and the

University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne (colloquially known as Melbourne University) is a public university, public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in the state ...

, and received training in classical music. From 1980 to 1983 Bridie provided keyboards for Misspent Youth, with James Southall on percussion. They travelled to

Perth Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...

, after their lead singer convinced them they would earn more money. Bridie had dropped out of his Arts/Law degree course for the venture, but found that Perth bands performed cover versions due to "the city's penchant for Top 40 and retro hits." They returned to Melbourne and he left the group soon after. He was also a member of Go Circus, alongside Rowan McKinnon on bass guitar. Bridie on vocals, piano, synthesiser and percussion formed a World music duo, Not Drowning, Waving in Melbourne in 1983 with fellow classical musician John Phillips on guitar. The pair had met at

La Trobe University La Trobe University is a public university, public research university based in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. Its main campus is located in the suburb of Bundoora, Victoria, Bundoora. The university was established in 1 ...

when Bridie invited Phillips to help record a track, "Moving Around", which had McKinnon providing bass guitar. Initially Not Drowning, Waving was a studio-only project while Bridie, McKinnon, Phillips and Southall formed a performance group, Easter, with Russel Bradley on drums and Tim Cole on lead vocals. "Moving Around" was issued as Not Drowning, Waving's debut single in April 1984. The duo followed with their debut album, ''Another Pond'', in January 1985 via Rampant Records. It was produced by their Easter bandmate, Cole. Easter were performing shows around Melbourne and released their own single, "Cheesecloth", in August 1985. Some of its members joined Not Drowning, Waving and the two groups co-existed with almost the same line-up. Not Drowning, Waving started live shows, while Easter wound down and eventually disbanded. Bridie and Phillips also worked in screen music beginning with the soundtrack for a film documentary, ''Canoe Man'', directed by Mark Worth. To research music for the documentary, Bridie had travelled to

Rabaul Rabaul () is a township in the East New Britain province of Papua New Guinea, on the island of New Britain. It lies about to the east of the island of New Guinea. Rabaul was the provincial capital and most important settlement in the province ...

, Papua New Guinea (PNG) in 1986 and first heard George Telek's "amazing song coming out of a recording studio." He returned, with Not Drowning, Waving, to Rabaul in late 1988 to record their fifth album, ''Tabaran'' (1990). Aside from Telek they used other local musicians, and the album was co-credited to The Musicians of Rabaul, Papua New Guinea featuring Telek. They toured PNG together, including a concert at the nation's capital,

Port Moresby (; Tok Pisin: ''Pot Mosbi''), also referred to as Pom City or simply Moresby, is the capital and largest city of Papua New Guinea. It is one of the largest cities in the southwestern Pacific (along with Jayapura) outside of Australia and New ...

, to an audience of 25000; and then they toured Australia. In late 1989 Helen Mountfort joined Not Drowning, Waving after having provided cello on a track on ''Tabaran''. Bridie, with bandmates Bradley and Mountfort formed an acoustic strings-based side project, My Friend the Chocolate Cake, as a chamber pop group. Other founders were Andrew Caswell on mandolin, Hope Csutoros on violin and Andrew Richardson on guitar. They released a self-titled album in 1991 with Bridie co-producing alongside Mountfort, Carswell and Cole. Also in that year Not Drowning, Waving provided the soundtrack for comedy-drama film, ''

Proof Proof most often refers to: * Proof (truth), argument or sufficient evidence for the truth of a proposition * Alcohol proof, a measure of an alcoholic drink's strength Proof may also refer to: Mathematics and formal logic * Formal proof, a co ...

''. Bridie and Mountfort worked with Jen Anderson on violin (ex- the Black Sorrows) and members of Hunters & Collectors' horn section on a feature film, '' Hammers Over the Anvil'' (1993), which was issued in the following year as a soundtrack album, ''Hammers'', credited to Not Drowning, Waving. The group released their sixth and last studio album, ''Circus'', in 1993 and disbanded by the end of the year.

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

's Australian-based music journalist,

Ed Nimmervoll Edward Charles Nimmervoll Eduard Nimmervoll (21 September 194710 October 2014) was an Australian music journalist, author and historian. He worked on rock and pop magazines ''Go-Set'' (1966–1974) and ''Juke Magazine'' (1975–92) both as ...

, observed that Bridie and Phillips' early work, "sparked the duo's enthusiasm for the sort of free-form ambient soundscapes that would become the basis of their sound as the group Not Drowning Waving and lay the seeds for their interest in film music." Fellow Australian music historian,

Ian McFarlane Ian McFarlane (born 1959) is an Australian music journalist, music historian and author, whose best known publication is the ''Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop'' (1999), which was updated for a second edition in 2017. As a journalist ...

, noticed the influences of

Brian Eno Brian Peter George Jean-Baptiste de la Salle Eno (, born 15 May 1948), also mononymously known as Eno, is an English musician, songwriter, record producer, visual artist, and activist. He is best known for his pioneering contributions to ambien ...

and

David Byrne David Byrne (; born May 14, 1952) is an American musician, writer, visual artist, and filmmaker. He was a founding member, principal songwriter, lead singer, and guitarist of the American New wave music, new wave band Talking Heads. Byrne has ...

on the pair, but " heywere not averse to incorporating African and other Third World rhythms into their muse. Likewise, they placed an emphasis on natural acoustic and atmospheric dynamics rather than an electronic approach." My Friend the Chocolate Cake, with Bridie and Mountfort as mainstays, issued seven studio albums before the group took an indefinite hiatus from August 2018. Periodically Not Drowning, Waving have reformed in 1996, 2001, 2003 and 2005 to 2006 and released a live album. Bridie and Phillips have issued two duo albums, ''Projects 1983–1993'' (1994) and ''Projects 2'' (2011). After My Friend the Chocolate Cake's debut album Bridie's further work as a record producer in the mid-1990s includes

Archie Roach Archibald William Roach (8 January 1956 – 30 July 2022) was an Australian (Gunditjmara and Western Bundjalung people, Bundjalung) singer-songwriter and Aboriginal Australian, Aboriginal activist. Often referred to as "Uncle Archie", Roach wa ...

's '' Jamu Dreaming'' (1993), Paul Kelly's '' Wanted Man'' (1994) and Christine Anu's '' Stylin' Up'' (1995). He joined Anu's touring band in support of her album's release throughout 1995. At the ARIA Music Awards of 1995 he was nominated for Producer of the Year. During 1998 he recorded a soundtrack album, ''In a Savage Land'' (November 1999), for a feature film of the same name, which was set and partly filmed on PNG's

Trobriand Islands The Trobriand Islands are a archipelago of coral atolls off the east coast of New Guinea. They are part of the nation of Papua New Guinea and are in Milne Bay Province. Most of the population of 60,000 (2016) indigenous inhabitants live on the m ...

. He had collaborated with Musicians from the Trobriand Islands. His score received widespread critical acclaim, Andrew L. Urban of ''Urban Cinefile'' praised the film's "unity of vision", in using "a wide palette of extraordinary music and sound." His work achieved multiple awards, Best Original Score at the 1999 AFI Awards, Best Music Score from the

Film Critics Circle of Australia The Film Critics Circle of Australia (FCCA) is an association of cinema critics and reviewers. It includes journalists in "media, television, major national and state papers, radio, national and state, online and freelance writers, Australian ...

, and Best Original Soundtrack Album at the 2000 ARIA Awards. Upon reflection Bridie explained to Paris Pompor of ''

FilmInk ''FilmInk'' is an Australian film magazine published by FKP International Exports. It was founded by current publisher Dov Kornits and Colin Fraser in July 1997, in Sydney. The magazine has been through many changes over the course of its exist ...

'' in 2017 why it was one of his favourite projects, " tallowed me to soak in the Trobriand Islands' culture and stay in a beach shack for eight weeks recording anything that moved and learning about a fascinating part of the world. It was dark, cultural and layered and challenging and I had free rein." His first solo studio album, ''Act of Free Choice'', appeared in May 2000, and "was greeted with critical praise." The album's title refers to the Indonesian Act of Free Choice (1969), which was supported by a plebiscite on the incorporation of

Western New Guinea Western New Guinea, also known as Papua, Indonesian New Guinea, and Indonesian Papua, is the western half of the island of New Guinea, formerly Dutch and granted to Indonesia in 1962. Given the island is alternatively named Papua, the region ...

into

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...

. Bridie's ''Act of Free Choice'' reached the top 40 on the

ARIA Albums Chart The ARIA Charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling songs and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA became the offici ...

. Evan Cater of AllMusic rated it at three-out-of-five stars and explained, " efinds new layers in his well-established gift for moody atmospherics" although "his breathy tenor can be slightly grating", while "his real strength lies in a compositional adventurousness." ''

PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, ...

'' Imran Khan determined, " ecreated a new world of sound to explore, one that would define him as an artist as well as create a sonic visual that would allow the listener to enter that world and immerse himself in the emotional experience created from the album’s imagined realities." In 2019 he received the Don Banks Music Award.

Personal life

Bridie is a father of two daughters, is divorced, and lived in the inner North suburbs of Melbourne (Northcote >2009 and Ballantyne St., Thornbury, 2009-2021) for much of his adult life. In 2021 he moved to an off-grid property close to the Otway National Park on Victoria's Shipwreck Coast. He travels widely. His first trip overseas was to Papua New Guinea in 1986, encouraged to do so by a filmmaker, Mark Worth. He still makes extended trips to

, Papua New Guinea where his friendship with musician George Telek began and where his band recorded an album. He speaks Tok Pisin and had gone through Tubuan initiation rites at the invitation of the community. This is documented in a 2023 film, ''Abebe-Butterfly Song'' directed by Rosie Jones, which includes extensive archival footage of Bridie and Telek.

Discography

Studio albums

Compilation albums

Soundtracks

Over the years, David Bridie has balanced his career as a live musician with the composition of soundtrack music, with credits for over 100 feature films including ''

'', '' Bran Nue Dae'', '' The Man Who Sued God'' and ''Gone,'' several of which received International release. He also received the ARIA Award for "Best Original Soundtrack, Cast or Show Album" for ''Nautical Forlorn'' in 2004. David Bridie has also contributed to many television shows, short films and documentaries soundtracks most notably for ''Remote Area Nurse'' for which he won an AFI Award as well as ''The Straits'', ''Dealine Gallipoli'' and ''Secret City''. The song "Pitjantjara" written and performed with Frank Yamma for ''The Alice'' was awarded an APRA Screen Music Award for "Best Original Song" composed for a 'Feature Film, Telemovie, TV Series or Mini-Series'.

Awards and nominations

! , - ,

1995 1995 was designated as: * United Nations Year for Tolerance * World Year of Peoples' Commemoration of the Victims of the Second World War This was the first year that the Internet was entirely privatized, with the United States government ...

, , himself , , ARIA Award for Producer of the Year , , , , , - ,

1996 1996 was designated as: * International Year for the Eradication of Poverty Events January * January 8 – A Zairean cargo plane crashes into a crowded market in the center of the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo ...

, , '' That Eye, the Sky'' (with John Phillips) , , APRA Screen Music Award for Best Film Score , , , , , - ,

, , " Fool for You" by Monique Brumby , , ARIA Award for Producer of the Year , , , , , - ,

1997 Events January * January 1 – The Emergency Alert System is introduced in the United States. * January 11 – Turkey threatens Cyprus on account of a deal to buy Russian S-300 missiles, prompting the Cypriot Missile Crisis. * January 1 ...

, , " Mary" by Monique Brumby , , ARIA Award for Producer of the Year , , , , , - , 1999 , , '' In a Savage Land'' , , AFI Award for Best Original Score , , , , , - , 1999 , , ''In a Savage Land'' , ,

Award for Best Music Score , , , , , - , rowspan="4",

2000 2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year. Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...

, , ''In a Savage Land'' , , ARIA Award for Best Original Soundtrack Album , , , , rowspan="4", , - , rowspan="3", ''Act of Free Choice'' , , ARIA Award for Album of the Year , , , - , ARIA Award for Best Male Artist , , , - , ARIA Award for Best Alternative Release , , , - , rowspan="2",

2003 2003 was designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Fresh water, Freshwater. In 2003, a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition 2003 invasion of Iraq, invaded Iraq, starting the Iraq War. Demographic ...

, , ''Hotel Radio'' , , ARIA Award for Best Adult Contemporary Album , , , , rowspan="2", , - , ''West Papua: Sound of the Morning Star'' , ,

ARIA Award for Best World Music Album The ARIA Music Award for Best World Music Album, is an award presented within the Fine Arts Awards at the annual ARIA Music Awards. It was inaugurated in 1995 as Best Folk/World/Traditional Release. The ARIA Awards recognise "the many achieve ...

, , , - ,

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

, , ''Nautical Forlorn'' , , ARIA Award for Best Original Soundtrack, Cast or Show Album , , , , , - , 2004 , , ''Land of the Morning Star'' , , AACTA Awards for Best Sound in a Non-Feature Film , , , , , - , rowspan="2",

2005 2005 was designated as the International Year for Sport and Physical Education and the International Year of Microcredit. The beginning of 2005 also marked the end of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Internationa ...

, , '' The Alice'': "Pitjantjara" (with Frank Yamma) , , APRA Screen Music Award for Best Original Song composed for a Feature Film, Telemovie, TV Series or Mini-Series , , , , rowspan="2",
, - , ''The Alice'' , , APRA Screen Music Award for Best Music for a Mini-Series or Telemovie , , , - ,

2006 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...

, , '' Remote Area Nurse'' (with Albert David, Kadu, Key Torres Strait Island Composers) , , APRA Screen Music Award for Best Soundtrack Album , , , , , - ,

, , ''Remote Area Nurse'' , , ARIA Award for Best Original Soundtrack, Cast or Show Album , , , , , - , rowspan="2",

2007 2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year. Events January * January 1 **Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...

, , '' The Circuit'' , , ARIA Award for Best Original Soundtrack, Cast or Show Album , , , , rowspan="2", , - , ''Gone'' , , ARIA Award for Best Original Soundtrack, Cast or Show Album , , , - ,

2009 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...

, , '' Two Fists, One Heart'' , , APRA Screen Music Award for Best Feature Film Score , , , , , - ,

2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...

, , '' Strange Birds in Paradise: A West Papuan Soundtrack'' , , ARIA Award for Best World Music Album , , , , , - ,

2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...

, , '' The Straits'' , , APRA Screen Music Award for Best Soundtrack Album , , , , , - ,

2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...

, , '' Satellite Boy'' , , ARIA Award for Best Original Soundtrack, Cast or Show Album , , , , , - ,

, , David Bridie , , Music Victoria Awards Best Male , , , , , - , rowspan="2",

2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...

, , ''Putuparri and the Rainmakers'' , , APRA Screen Music Award for Best Music for a Documentary , , , , , - , '' Secret City'' , , APRA Screen Music Award for Best Music for a Mini-Series or Telemovie , , , , , - ,

2017 2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly. Events January * January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...

, , Music project: ''a Bit na Ta'' , , APRA Art Music Award for Excellence by an Individual , , , , , - ,

, , ''A Bit na Ta'' (with George Telek & Musicians of the Gunantuna) , ,

Music Victoria Awards The Music Victoria Awards (previously known as The Age EG Awards and The Age Music Victoria Awards) are an annual awards night celebrating music from the Australian state of Victoria. They commenced in 2006 and are awarded in Melbourne Music W ...

Best Global or Reggae Album , , , , , - , rowspan="3",

2019 This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year. Up to that point, 2019 had been described as ...

, , '' Australia's Lost Impressionist'' , , APRA Screen Music Award for Best Music for a Documentary , , , , , - , '' Secret City: Under the Eagle'': "Run Little Rabbit" , , APRA Screen Music Award for Best Music for a Television Series or Serial , , , , , - , ''The Merger'' , , APRA Screen Music Award for Best Soundtrack Album , , , , , - , 2019 , , himself , , Don Banks Music Award , , , , , - ,

2020 The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...

, , ''The Skin of Others'': "Ballad of the Bridge-Builders" (with Tom Murray) , , APRA Screen Music Award for Best Original Song Composed for the Screen , , , , , - * Australian Antarctic Territory Fellowship, 2023.

References

;General * Note: Archived n-linecopy has limited functionality. ;Specific

External links

*
Follow the Geography
a website devoted to all of David Bridie's projects
My Friend the Chocolate Cake
*
2007 interview with David Bridie
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bridie, David 1960s births APRA Award winners ARIA Award winners Australian male songwriters Living people Musicians from Melbourne People with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder Year of birth missing (living people)