Nakibembe Embaire Group

Nakibembe is a small village in Uganda's Busoga Kingdom, where the residents preserve the local tradition of playing and dancing to the undulating rhythms and melodies of the embaire – a massive log xylophone, comprising up to 25 wooden keys, which is amplified by the pit dug around it in the village's communal space. As many as eight people play this instrument at any one time, supported by others on drums and shakers, and the combined effect is an overwhelming whirl of collective polyrhythmic energy.

The unexpected twist to this album is that, for three tracks, Nakibembe are joined by Indonesian experimental electronic artists Gabber Modus Operandi and Wahono, who process the sounds of the embaire and drums to create ‘140’, ‘160’, and ‘133’ – titles which refer to tempi. The similarities between embaire and gamelan music-making mean that the Indonesians are at home atomising and manipulating the tuned percussive sounds to the extent that on ‘160’ they seem to depart almost entirely from the source, having fitted the instruments with MIDI triggers to extract their raw data. If this seems a bit chilly, don't be put off; what this collaboration reveals are the deep global connections between the ancient and the modern.