Tag Archives: drums

Learn the rhythm of Africa with Drum Cafe

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Rhythm of Africa with Drum Cafe
Our IT department had the best end of year function that it's ever had. On arrival at Ratanga Junction we found dozens of African drums positioned on benches - and a quartet of African men patiently waiting for us to finish taking our seats. As we quietened down the leader started banking out a simple rhythm on his drum. Without hesitation we took up our drums and joined in the rhythm.

For the next half hour or more the group from Drum Cafe taught our posse of 100 rhythmically-challenged IT geeks a series of basic rhythms that culminated in a finale comprising everything we'd learned. It's difficult to explain how awesome the sound of 100 beating African drums is and how it seems to tug at the fibre of every African's being. Group drumming with Drum Cafe - or any such group for that matter - certainly is one of those must-do experiences.

Culoe and the drums of Africa at J&B’s Start a Party

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The African house beats of Culoe de Song
Culoe de Song (aka Culolethu Zulu) was the second of three artists performing at J&B's Start a Party on Saturday night. This super-tallented DJ and producer from Durban took over from Monique Pascall, paving the way for Detroit city's famous DJ, Carl Craig, to make his much-anticipated appearance.

Don't be confused by the photo - that's not Culoe - this is Culoe. The man in the photo was one of two drummers who added the distinctive African sound to Culoe's electronic music. I'm not sure if this applies only to us who've grown up in Africa, but African drums always seem to awaken the spirit of African in us, it's like we're drawn to the sound, to the beat, by some innate force. They're awesome. :)

Culoe's set was by earwitness accounts brilliant - and I guess that's to be expected. He's about 20 years old now, but at the age of 18 he was selected to attend the Red Bull Music Academy in Barcelona, and subsequent to that was asked to submit a mix Resident Advisor - the world's premier online electronic music magazine. Isn't that something - especially for an 18-year-old?!