# Looking for an African piece



## Geordie (Sep 14, 2014)

Hi there! I'm writing here to ask your help. I came back from a pretty long trip in the South of the Africa and I made some good footages of nature with whom I'd like to realize a short movie. Now I'm looking for the background music.
I'm searching for something ethereal/spiritual but also intense and linked to Africa. I thought about Stive Reich's marimba pieces, but they are too haunting and cerebral. It could be a solo chant or a percussion piece; could sounds classical, folk or electronic. Hope I given you an idea of what I'm looking for and hope you want to use your creativity and knowledge to help me to find this piece.

Thank you.


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## ptr (Jan 22, 2013)

You should have a listen to SF composer Kevin Volans music! (Unfortunatly his site is down at the moment..) .. There's a lot of his music on Youtube to do research on! FX "She Who Sleeps with a Small Blanket"..

/ptr


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## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

You were in the south of Africa for an extended period, and you didn't take notice of any of the local culture or music?


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## Schubussy (Nov 2, 2012)

and not actually African but African themed and with a 'spiritual' atmosphere


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

Volans and others here, some very evocative music.


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## SimonNZ (Jul 12, 2012)

Which specific countries do you have footage of? Africa is a huge, diverse continent with an equally huge variety of culktures and musics. Having music from Mali or Kenya over footage of South Africa would be as incongruous as French or German music over footage of Greece.


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## norman bates (Aug 18, 2010)

Considering that you're looking for something ethereal and spiritual you could listen to Toumani Diabate and his Mande Variations





Or you could listen something of Forward Kwenda, a mbira player who is considered like the african Coltrane


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## Geordie (Sep 14, 2014)

First of all thanks for your suggestions, they're all interesting and beautiful pieces. Kevin Volans music is nearly my ideal - maybe a bit too bare and cerebral. By related videos I discovered this which is almost perfect. I'm looking for something that connects spiritual, ethereal feelings whit a sense of power (of nature) - like what I felt in the places that I have recorded.

I'm actually quite disappointed, I could't discover many musical cultures during my trip. Anyway, my trip wasn't really about music but more about silence - so I passed most of the time in desolate places. However I had some talks about local music and listened many pieces. I could also discover the horrible Afrikaans folk music.

I visited the states of Namibia, Zambia, Botswana and South Africa and yes, I think that a piece of another country, of an another musical colture will sound very out of place. A piece which comes from the places I visited certainly works, but it doesn't have to be necessarily like that. Also if it is just linked to a general idea of Africa is ok for me.


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## PetrB (Feb 28, 2012)

Geordie said:


> First of all thanks for your suggestions, they're all interesting and beautiful pieces. Kevin Volans music is nearly my ideal - maybe a bit too bare and cerebral. By related videos I discovered this which is almost perfect. I'm looking for something that connects spiritual, ethereal feelings whit a sense of power (of nature) - like what I felt in the places that I have recorded.
> 
> I'm actually quite disappointed, I could't discover many musical cultures during my trip. Anyway, my trip wasn't really about music but more about silence - so I passed most of the time in desolate places. However I had some talks about local music and listened many pieces. I could also discover the horrible Afrikaans folk music.
> 
> I visited the states of Namibia, Zambia, Botswana and South Africa and yes, I think that a piece of another country, of an another musical colture will sound very out of place. A piece which comes from the places I visited certainly works, but it doesn't have to be necessarily like that. Also if it is just linked to a general idea of Africa is ok for me.


In a few seconds' search, by typing in Youtube African music Namibia, I reached this (in each instance, you will probably want to bypass all the western pop influenced music now being performed by locals, even if it does have a bit of a 'local influence' in it.)
Africa Nmibia Himba music





a like search for Zambia found this, which I found really wonderful...





and this, again, very nice





The Kalimba (thumb piano) is used throughout many African countries, also known as the Mbiru, and as many names for it as places it is used. Kevin Volans' _Mbira_ is very much in imitation of the sound of this instrument.


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## Geordie (Sep 14, 2014)

The first Zambian song is sincere and beautiful, thank you. I also checked its label out, looks very interesting: http://www.swp-records.com


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## SONNET CLV (May 31, 2014)

The label Putumayo records World Music and has several excellent Africa oriented discs. Remember, Africa is a vast continent with a wide range of music, nearly inexhaustible in content and styles. A lot of wondrous stuff.

My favorite African piece to date remains the song "Wassiye" by guitarist Habib Koite and his band Bamada.


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