Kosmos Records have reissued the primal sounds of Nakara Percussions. A privately pressed, promo recording. Previously sold only at performances. Featuring the thirty fingers (and thumbs) of Christian Berthier, Gerard Kurdjian, and Stephane Olivier. French contemporaries of Algerian Abdelmadjid Guemguem, and his collective, Zaka Percussion (the outfit responsible for the similarly organically banging Cosmic / Balearic classic, Le Serpent). The LP, recorded in the isolated village of Alleins, during a week of seventeen hour days, enthusiastically mixes traditional musics from around the globe – the trio take their name from the Naqareh, a Middle Eastern kettle drum used by ancient Muslim forces. Employing African marimba and kalimba. Brazilian berimbau and cuica (doing its funky gibbon thing). Cuban congas and Indian tabla. Field recorded birdsong, seashells, and surf. Combining rhythms from Guadeloupe`s Gwo Ka, and Nigeria’s drums of passion. Whistles, shouts, and carnival freak-outs. Creating a few instruments of their own in the process. Around this varied battery, players shriek. Children chant. Female sirens sing lullabies that sound like Afro-Caribbean prayers for rain. 

Reference Links

Le Serpent

Gwo Ka

Drums of passion