Denis Crowdy
Department of Media, Music, Communication and Cultural Studi
Macquarie University
Australia
Biography
Denis Crowdy worked as a musician in Perth before travelling to Papua New Guinea where he taught music at the University of Papua New Guinea from 1992-2000. He currently teaches units in guitar and audio engineering at Macquarie. His research has explored various aspects of Melanesian popular music, from stringband to music industries in the region. His most recent book explores the music and socio-political context of the band Sanguma, who actively mixed ancestral musics with jazz and rock. He has co-edited the journal Perfect Beat, and has been the Chair of the International Council for Traditional Music's Study Group on the Musics and Dance of Oceania. Crowdy is currently leading a three year ARC Linkage grant titled "Music, mobile phones and social justice in Melanesia", a project including researchers from Sydney University, Western Sydney University, CREDO (France), with partners Further Arts and the Wantok Musik Foundation. This involves ethnographic work in PNG, Vanuatu and New Caledonia, with an applied component developing regionally relevant, open source music production and media sharing software.
Research Interest
Melanesian music, ethnomusicology, mobile music and media technology, music software research
Publications
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Crowdy D, Hayward P. From the ashes: a case study of the re-development of local music recording in Rabaul (Papua New Guinea) following the 1994 volcanic eruptions. Convergence. 1999 Sep;5(3):67-82.
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Crowdy D. The guitar cultures of Papua New Guinea: regional, social and stylistic diversity.
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Crowdy D. Guitar style, open tunings, and stringband music in Papua New Guinea.
