Artist description 8 musicians mixing traditional East African instruments with contemporary sounds.

Music Style African

Musical Influences A pinch of dance-hall soukous with a good dose of Uganda's rich tribal repertoire.

Similar Artists Salif Keita; Baaba Maal; Ali Farka Toure; Yossou N'Dour

Artist History Percussion Discussion Africa came together as the result of one man's dream: already a celebrity in the Ugandan community, Omwana We Nsenene Sewanyana has been performing and recording for over twenty years. To Kampala's press he is the 'King of the Congas.' But, though renowned for work with dance-hall giants the 'Afrigo Band,' his musical roots lie far from the nightclubs of Uganda's big cities. Sewanyana's first instruments were not the congas, but the nankasa; mpuunyi; namunjoloba and engalabi - traditional drums played by the tribal peoples of East Africa for centuries - perhaps thousands of years. Sadly, these instruments (along with traditional harps, flutes, fiddles and xylophones) are rarely heard. But now with PDA, Sewanyana brings them back from obscurity straight onto the world stage. It has taken over ten years to pull together the resources and musicians which make this project possible. To Sewanyana and his song-writing partner Michael Musoke, Percussion Discussion Africa is a dream come true.

Group Members Group members:-Omwana We Nsenene Sewanyana: traditional drums - Nankasa; Namunjoloba; Engalabi; Mpuunyi. Michael Musoke: lead vocals.Featured musicians:-Emmanuel Nsubuga: Harp, Shakers, Vocals.James Kijobwa: Tube Fiddle, Flute, Xylophone, Vocals.Amigo Atibu Walusimbi: Lead Guitar, Rhythm Guitar, Vocals.Kezia Nakirya: Backing Vocals.Frank Morel: Alto and Soprano Saxophone.Phil Busby: Bass Guitar.

Instruments Traditional Drums; Nankasa; Namunjoloba; Engalabi; Mpuunyi, Tube Fiddle, Flute, Xylophone, Lead Guitar, Rhythm Guitar, Alto and Soprano Saxophone, Bass Guitar

Albums Omubala

Press Reviews New Vision (Ugandan daily paper) article of 7 August 2000. The music of Percussion Discussion Africa is the apex of a music revolution in our country. Truly Ugandan Music at last. By Kalungi Kabuye. Under a typical, sultry African sky last weekend, Ugandan music finally met the world as the Percussion Discussions Africa launched the 'Percussion Nite, Ugandan Nite' at the National Theater's Cultural Village. It was a fitting setting as a gentle breeze lifted the sounds of traditional instruments mixing with their more modern counterparts. The Nankasa, played so efficiently by Sam Bakabulindi, was side by side with Sanjay Lehru on Indian classical drums, and together they talked of a beat, new & bold. Patrick Kinobe & Albert Bisaso, on two types of the Ndingidi (tube fiddle) took care of the strings, and Isaac added an electric bass. Meanwhile percussion maestro Herman Ssewanyana called the shots with his set of traditional drums, and up at the dais, Eric Sabiti played his modern jazz drums. Meanwhile Franck Morel & Said Kasule played the saxophones, and Samuel put in his share on the trumpet. Together those players produced something new and bold on the Uganda music scene, and the music spectrum will never be the same. "Wherever you go you will hear South African music or Western African music, now you will hear this and say, this is Ugandan music. " The guest of honour at the launching, Omwony Ojok 'Kiwanuka-Kasule,' the Minister of State for Northern Ugandan Rehabilitation said "This is our music, and we should give it all the encouragement we can. "And they did, the few scores or so of people who showed up at the Cultural Village on Thursday night were treated to a performance that has never been seen before. It was reminiscent of those instrumental performances we used to hear and love so much during national music festivals but that never made it past the closing night. Percussion Discussion Africa was formed several years ago, but has never performed in public before. We have been missing a lot, going by what we witnessed last Thursday. This was something that has been missing in our cultural tapestry. Michael Musoke, who must be responsible for some of the best jingles on commercial radio, made something of a debut live performance. His song Maureen and Nakawunde went down very well with the audience, and he had to do them about two or three times that night. Then that master percussionist Ssewanyana did his song Mulamu, and the roof almost went off the small tent that housed the few dignitaries. The music of Percussion Discussion Africa is the apex of a music revolution in Uganda. Where artists like Halima Namukula want to go, and where Chance Nalubega and John Tabula are headed, is where Percussion Discussions Africa is. They describe a type of music that is typically Ugandan, away from the copy cat hip-hop of the last decade. No more Perfect Generation, no more Prim 'n' Propa; it is time to be Ugandan at last. It was a memorable evening for those who turned up, and in fact the only disappointment was that Percussion Discussion Africa are not sure when they will do it again. It might be a month or a week or two. They are trying to work out the modalities. We only hope they work it out pretty quickly, so the people who truly like music can find a place to go and enjoy what they like best. Thanks to Ssewanyana and his mates for showing us how truly great Uganda can be.

Location Kampala - Uganda

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