The Pulse of Africa

$16.99
Label
ARC Music
Release Date
March 29, 2019
Format
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    Featuring ⌄
    • COMPOSER
      VARIOUS
    • PERFORMER
      Various
    Product Details ⌄
    • RELEASE DATE
      March 29, 2019
    • UPC
      5019396283725
    • CATALOG NUMBER
      EUCD2837
    • LABEL
      ARC Music
    • NUMBER OF DISCS
      1
    • GENRE
      World & International
    Works ⌄

    1. Wo Mawu (Togo and Ghana)

      Composer: Traditional

      Ensemble: Hadji Ensemble

    2. Ngungu (Zululand)

      Composer: Traditional

      Ensemble: Ipelegeng Ensemble, African Works

    3. Eboka (Congo)

      Composer: Traditional

      Ensemble: Hadji Ensemble, African Works

    4. Basoga Lusoga (Uganda)

      Composer: Traditional

      Ensemble: Hadji Ensemble

    5. Mala (Senegal, Mali, Guinea, The Gambia)

      Composer: Traditional

      Ensemble: Hadji Ensemble

    6. Soului (Ghana)

      Composer: Traditional

      Ensemble: Hadji Ensemble

    7. Gboko Lia Yayari Kpamo (Central African Republic)

      Composer: Traditional

      Ensemble: African Works

    8. Nxai (Botswana)

      Composer: Traditional

      Ensemble: Soweto, African Works

    9. Unwabu (Swaziland)

      Composer: Traditional

      Ensemble: Ipelegeng Ensemble

    10. Baba (South Africa)

      Composer: Traditional

      Ensemble: Soweto, African Works

    11. Zima Gaza Koo (Central African Republic)

      Composer: Traditional

      Ensemble: African Works

    12. Kekebu (Mozambique, South Africa)

      Composer: Traditional

      Ensemble: Hadji Ensemble

    13. Domba (South Africa)

      Composer: Traditional

      Ensemble: Tirani Club

    14. Yolo Male (Central African Republic)

      Composer: Traditional

      Ensemble: Hadji Ensemble, African Works

    15. Mabo (Cameroon, Congo, Central African Republic)

      Composer: Traditional

      Ensemble: African Works

    16. Eshe Eyele (Nigeria, Benin, Togo)

      Composer: Traditional

      Ensemble: Hadji Ensemble

    17. Zanga (Central African Republic)

      Composer: Traditional

      Ensemble: African Works

    18. Ibhungane (South Africa)

      Composer: Traditional

      Ensemble: Soweto


Throughout Africa, the drum is the most ancient and certainly the most widely played instrument in African history. Having a far deeper bearing on life than the Western concept of percussion, the drum and all its offshoots and variations is an integral part of the heritage of all African cultures. There is a huge variety of such instruments. The sacred big drums were the most valuable property of any tribe. Conquering kings would make such drums a priority to capture, as this would break the spirit of the conquered. In many creation stories, the drum plays a vital role. Gods and chiefs, wise men and those who can talk to the ancestors, all use the drum as a medium. These recordings are performed by master African drumming groups; the El Hadj Ensemble, Ipelegeng Group, African Works, Soweto Ensemble and Tirani Club. All tracks are performed in the differing styles of cultures and communities from all over Africa, in some cases with added instruments appropriate to those cultures, making for an exemplary percussive exploration of Africa.