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KASAI MASAI
Based in London and led by Nickens Nkoso, Kasaï Masaï brings the traditional sound of the most remote equatorial villages with an Urban Twist. Nickens, percussionist, singer and dancer was born into a Congolese musical family and studied singing and percussion as a child, learning traditional music from his father and grandfather. Moving to London in 1992, he has performed with many top Congolese artists - Mose Fan Fan’s Somo Somo at The Barbican and with Samba Mapangala (Orchestra Virunga) at The Forum.
This 5 piece band consists of d'jembe, guitar, saxophone, bass and drum and to add that extra exotic touch they are joined occasionally by a balafon player, a MC and one or two female dancers! You’ll have to wait and see!
For your information the Kasaï tribe, named after a river, live in the heart of the Congolese rain forest, where many tribes such as the Pygmies still maintain their traditional lifestyles, whilst the Masaï tribe live a more nomadic existence in the region.
Kasaï Masaï successfully marry a respect for vintage grooves with an overwhelming urge to move the dance floor. This is the sound of the old and the new, of the countryside and the city, from deep in the heart of Africa." Nige Tassell - Reading Womad Festival.
