New Song ‘Break It Down’ From First Nations Band Tjaka Combines Didjeribone + Hip Hop

A groundbreaking new blend of an electronic and hip-hop fusion combine with Aboriginal ancestral influence on this absolute banger of a tune, ‘Break It Down’. This is the second release from talented First Nations Meanjin/Brisbane-based trio Tjaka, due for release on August 16.

Tjaka is an abbreviation of Tjakamarra, the skin name given to the two Fabila brothers Geoff and Jake, who are proud descendants of the Jabirr Jabirr tribe in the Western Australian Kimberley. Together with family friend and guitar virtuoso Felix Fogarty, they are Tjaka, and their vision is to create music that mixes influences of the past with modern sounds and storytelling.

Their first single ‘Fiya’ has been burning bright across the Eastern Coast, with the group playing to multiple sold-out crowds in 2021 and supporting Kurilpa Reach on their Fat Freddy’s Drop cover tour. Also performing at Jungle Love, Mountain Goat Valley Crawl, Bad Olive and Concrete Jungle, Tjaka has rapidly garnered support for their live shows across the country and will continue to grow their fanbase with this exciting new track.

A super catchy, stirring hip-hop banger, the boys are onto something truly original with ‘Break It Down’, and when they sing ‘I bet you’ve never heard it sound like this’ – they’re absolutely right. The lyrics connect the Fabila brothers’ indigenous roots, and with some impressive rapping skills, command attention and give an instant boost of adrenaline. Featuring bold didjeribone swells, high-energy electronic beats, and a lot of attitude – this is undoubtedly set to heat up airwaves and venues.

The track introduces the use of didjeribone (a slide didjeridoo, similar to a trombone) into contemporary genres, along with the Face Bass, (a seismic microphone that is used from inside the player’s mouth) in an effort to honour culture through music. Tjaka elaborates:

“Lyrically and instrumentally, we aimed to draw the connection from the ‘old’ and the ‘new’ ways of creating music with the sound of the didjeridoo/yidaki. The overall sound of this song is one of the first results of years of experimentation with the didjeribone, the Face-Bass and Ableton software creating the ever-evolving ‘Tjaka’ sound.”

And that sound is certainly making waves. The group have already seen plenty of support from local and international playlists – including Original Storytellers, a couple of KCRW (US) playlists, as well as receiving play on Triple J (Blak Out with Nooky), Triple J Unearthed and Double J, as well as 4ZZZ, FBi, RTRFM and Triple R. On top of that, they’ve racked up over 45.7k streams on Spotify for ‘Fiya’, and dameeeela’s track ‘The Shake Up’ feat. Tjaka has been streamed over 230k times.

To celebrate the release of their showstopping new single ‘Break It Down’ which comes out on August 16, Tjaka will be playing 4 shows across QLD and Northern NSW – more information below:

Tjaka Upcoming Shows
2-4 September – Jungle Love Festival – Imbil
16 September – Solbar – Sunshine Coast*
17 September – Bearded Lady – Brisbane*
23 September – Mo’s Desert Clubhouse – Gold Coast**
*Supported by Endless Valley, Dizzy Days, Hemingway
**Supported by above bands and Lotus Ship