From Bjork To Brisbane

These days Manu Delago keeps the in the finest company of live performers, but when he first started playing the Hang there wasn't anybody to show him the ropes. The world-renowned instrumentalist says it was "like learning a new language that didn't exist".

The Hang (pronounced hong or hung) is a recently developed percussive instrument from Switzerland that's classed as an idiophone. It's made from two convex half-shells of sheet steel (think two round shields joined around the rims like a clam), and while it might look like Delago is meticulously tapping away at a retro Weber barbeque, when the London-based Austrian strikes the hammered-in tone fields around its surface the Hang produces rhythmic melodies of mellifluous brilliance. "It's got a very interesting sound, ranging from harp-like melodies to tabla-esque beats," notes the Hang soloist.

That sound alone was enough to hook Delago. "I had never seen anyone play it before I started. My dad showed me a photo and a sound sample online, no video!"

In 2000, Delago joined up with saxophonist/clarinet player Christoph Pepe Auer, who at the time was part of an Austrian rock group HotchPotch, and took up drum duties. Together the pair moved onto a 14-piece hip hop project before tightening down to a four-piece embracing jazz and drum'n'bass. From there, they flourished as Living Room, Delago incorporating his love for the Hang with the bass clarinet. "Somehow those two instruments, and us two, worked very well together as a duo."

It is this dexterity that placed Delago on stages across six continents and in collaborations with Anoushka Shankar, London Symphony Orchestra, The Cinematic Orchestra and famed Icelandic singer/songwriter Bjork. "She's an incredibly inspiring artist and it was amazing to learn from her and the whole crew," he says.

On Bjork 2011 album Biophilia, and the subsequent tour, Delago stretched his talents beyond playing the Hang to both electronic xylosynth and acoustic drums. Basically, he's come a long way from the kid who used to exasperate his household by banging on cardboard boxes and tables with cutlery. "I'm generally very interested in projects where I see a potential to learn something new and that was definitely the case with Bjork. I had to play a lot of electronic beats live that were originally programmed in the studio. That was a great challenge and is now certainly a part of me."

While his proficiency on the Hang takes prominence on his third and latest LP Metromonk, Delago has incorporated the many talents now at his disposal. "I've used a lot of electronic manipulation and beats as well as some amazing guest vocalists to create an album in two halves - one for the legs and one for the heart."

As part of the Queensland Music Festival, QPAC will host the premiere of Delago's Concertino Grosso, led by Queensland Youth Orchestra (QYO) violinist Dale Barltrop in honour of the father of Australia's youth orchestra movement, John Curro AM MBE. "I only have three days in Australia, so my time will be packed with rehearsing and the performance with the QYO, which I'm really looking forward to."