African music exists in a number of forms, yet, musicians
reaching the Western world appear often corrupted by
European and American cultures. It is rare these days
to find African musicians who insist on using almost
exclusively traditional instruments, preferring instead
to include electric guitars, bass and even electronics.
This has led to new genres being developed, yet one
could argue that African music has lost part of its
identity in the process. Victor Gama takes a complete
different angle to bring modernity to established sounds.
Victor Gama was born in Angola of Portuguese origin.
He soon developed a healthy interest for traditional
Angolan musical instruments leading him to learn the
Kissange, a thumb piano, the Hungo, a musical bow, and
a primitive twelve string guitar. In the early nineties,
he started developing his Pangeia Instrumentos,
a range of contemporary instruments designed and built
from traditional materials including wood, metal and
found objects, inspired by the notion that, through
migration and nomadic traditions, African instruments
have had to adapt to new contexts. With Pangeia
Instrumentos, a project that constitutes of exhibitions,
concerts and workshops, Victor Gama has performed in
a variety of African and European countries.
The beautiful collection of compositions presented on
this album reflects the atmospheric nature of African
music and part of its journey through time. Entirely
instrumental and devoid of any electronic input, a first
for Rephlex, Pangeia Insturmentos is above
all a magnificent and fascinating piece of recording.
The sonic landscape can appear quite uniform at first,
yet sounds used soon reveal an incredible variety of
textures and tone colours. If a violin is sometimes
added to emphasise on the dramatic nature of the music
(Huyra, Viagem Sem Retorno), this
album remains entirely focused around the unusual sounds
produced by Gama’s instruments. Creating delicate
structure, often based on one or two instruments, Gama
presents here some incredibly dense and atmospheric
constructions, evocative not only of the cultures and
traditions they are based on, but also of a more modern
Africa, willing to adapt to new challenges. Tracks such
as A Guerra Dos Homens Répteis, which
opens the album, O Olh No Anzol, O Pescador
De Sonhos, or Viagem Sem Retorno depict
perfectly the connections between tradition and modernity.
The second in a series which explores the craft of instrument
building, the first being Pierre Bastien’s Mechanoid,
Pangeia Instrumentos is a fascinating piece
of recording, in which Victor Gama confronts the essence
of African music and provides the foundations for contemporary
African artists to develop their own musical environment
while remaining firmly in touch with the legacy of centuries
of tradition.
4.8/5 |
