Kawuku Sound is a collaboration between northern homies Contours & Cervo, and Ugandan percussion troupe, Fonkodelis Arkestra. Created over a month of all living together in the Nyege Nyege studio in the Kawuku area of Kampala, Uganda. The project merges the hypnotic and trance-inducing primal percussion of the Buganda drum, with carefully woven and highly respectful electronic interpretations by Contours and Cervo. Each song of the project is unique and powerful in its own way, from the more bass-driven ‘Owino Market’ to the prophetic ‘Youth’ featuring Spyda MC. With many sampling field recordings of Kampala’s streets, including the iconic sounds of Boda horns and sliding Matatu doors, you’ll be taken right to the heart of Kampala.
The aptly named ‘Many Hands’, has got that South London smooth jazzy house vibe that we know and love, but the realness of the Buganda drums reign true. Upon listening, you actually get this very feeling of the ‘many hands’ on drum skin, you can visualise the hand movements of the full troupe beating down, as muscles work and arms move to release the full sound of the drum, moving so powerfully and quickly it all becomes a blur. The drums gives an energy and rawness to the track that makes it so much more than just a house track and with a breakdown 4 minutes in, giving a deserved centre stage to the troupe, its clear that this project is about putting the percussion first and working with a craft, sound and even language, that’s existed long before we had drum machines.
Kawuku Sound is out on Banana Hill on 8th October 2018.
Kawuku Sound is out on Banana Hill on 8th October 2018.
