Te-Kwaro Alango-Ekuka
At times reminiscent of though not to be confused with the entrancing sing-song of the Indonesian gamelan, the significantly more minimalistic soundscapes of the thumb piano on this first-ever studio recording by "lukeme maestro and legendary Langi griot Ekuka Morris Sirikiti" are no less spellbinding and wonderfully haunting. Back in 2018, the Nyege Nyege Tapes imprint delved into Ekuka's work, which proved a bit challenging, seeing as this artist had never officially recorded or kept any of his music and besides that does not even own a device to play said music on. The sole recordings available had been taped "by keen-eared listeners who caught his performances on Ugandan radio." The imprint eventually approached Ekuka and played him a selection of his songs "recorded between 1978 and 2003." Needless to say, this was nothing short of a revelation for Ekuka, as "memories [came] flooding back [reminding him of] some of his bandmates [who] have long since passed away" as well as "old friendships and long-forgotten life events."
Inspired by this trip down memory lane, Ekuka ventured into an actual recording studio for the very first time and spent some two weeks "re-discovering and re-recording" some of his repertoire. "These new versions capture the artist's virtuosity in microscopic detail: the characteristic rattling sound of his lukeme, an ancient African thumb piano, takes pride of place, but his assertive, agile voice also sounds as if it's been unlocked. On previous recordings, his words were often obscured by saturation, distortion and radio static, and here they're presented with startling clarity as he deconstructs social issues, telling winding, poetic (and often humorous) stories in the griot tradition. Sparse polyrhythmic percussion rattles against the euphoric rhythmelodic thumb piano tones, while Ekuka's voice anchors the music in the daily realities of Northern Uganda." But don't be fooled, Ekuka is no amateur. The ten recordings found on "Te-Kwaro Alango-Ekuka" reflect a wealth of experience both as a lukeme virtuoso and masterful storyteller.
"Ekuka is an endlessly inquisitive presence, mixing public service announcements ('ONYO OCOLO' is about paying taxes, while 'CIL PACO' details personal hygiene) with questions about village morals, like on 'OPWODO DAKO PI KUNYU OMOGO' when he recounts an incident when a woman is beaten for harvesting cassava. Everything's presented with an invitation to dance and to reflect, delivered with pathos and mischievous charm by an artist who's seen life's full spectrum in intimate detail," the release notes detail. Indeed, these tracks in their entirety have a beguiling quality about them, demonstrating impressively just how expansive these presumptively simple arrangements really are. As the lukeme's cascading timbre resonates, accompanied only by dispersed percussive elements and Ekuka's devout vocal delivery, listeners will be surprised at how consumed they will be by the soaring soundscapes this 'debut album' has to offer. What's more, there is even an official companion video to the album's "de-facto" single "Tec Me Ot Jok", a tale about "local witch doctors" and self-proclaimed healers.
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