First Nations Arrernte Elder, Paul Ah Chee began his music journey as a young boy and in due course he formed the renowned Mparntwe/Alice Springs band, AMUNDA, in the late 80s. Over the ten-year period, the band enjoyed great success performing at major national festivals including Big Day Out, Sing Loud Play Strong, Survival, Barunga, Adelaide Fringe, Port Fairy and Moomba Festival, where they eventually disbanded in 1997.
After this, Paul took a hiatus from music, settling down in the Red Centre to support his family, community and land, until his passions were reignited in 2019. His desire to resurrect his music journey has led to last year’s EP release through his independent record label, Ngala Music. Best described as Contemporary Australian Soulful Rock, “Nowhere To Hide” featured Paul’s talents as a powerfully evocative lyricist, singer, guitarist and composer. Released exclusively on CD and vinyl (and not online), sales from the EP raised funds for Beyond Blue, its title track touching on the harrowing issue of suicide in Indigenous communities.
This year, Paul Ah Chee is blowing the lid off a worldwide audience by finally uploading his catalogue to online platforms, with a digital single release slated for every six months. The first of these singles, “Morning Star” explores Arrernte mythology and astronomy and its relationship to the sacred site, Tnorala, a meteoric crater at Gosses Bluff in Western Arrernte Country.
“It was said that 150 million years ago, a meteor hit the earth and formed a crater, which we call Tnorala, From that site we believe women were dancing as celestial stars on the Milky Way, and as they danced a baby fell from the sky, and the mother and father is the morning star and the evening star looking for the child for eternity.”
– Paul Ah Chee
Released on record label Ngala Music, Morning Star sees Paul teaming up again with Producer Daniel Jauregui in Harmonic Whale recording studio. Morning Star is a true testament of Ah Chee’s ability to reach across decades of musical influences and reflect the taste and nuances of richness in melodies, driving rhythms and evocative lyrics which tell a story of connectivity that have become synonymous to his music.