Kanyok

Today’s music is song and ensemble by the Kanyok people of the Congo, probably recorded in the 1950s.

The sound is characterized by a sense of color that shines brightly like the Congolese sun and a pleasant percussion that sways gently as it bounces. The energy of the music is pretty strong, but it is worth noting that the music is sublimated into exhilarating rhythms rather than intense emotions.

The recording was by Hugh Tracy, who lived in South Africa and continued to record traditional music of the southern half of Africa. His works are not only valuable recordings of African traditional folk music, but there is nothing in his local recordings that is not musically interesting.