Ancestral Yoruba, Kejawèn, and Akamba rhythms meets Jungle, Juke, Bass, Hip Hop, and Spiritual Jazz.
Ndagga Rhythm Force / DJ Zhao – YAAM Thursday 08.08

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2ECz3xA
Youtube: https://bit.ly/2MduOyR
Dj support: dj zhao (ngoma)
VVK ab 15,- incl. Gebühren bei KOKA36 / EVENTBRITE & An allen bekannten VVK Stellen
In 2011 Mark Ernestus (of Basic Channel, Rhythm & Sound, and Hardwax fame) traveled to Senegal in search of original Sabar and Mbalax recordings but ended up inviting over 20 percussionists and other musicians – most of whom he had become interested in via local cassettes or Youtube clips – for a spontaneous recording session in Dakar. Mark arranged and mixed these recordings back in Berlin, which were released on the 2012 twin albums “800% Ndagga” and “Ndagga Versions” under the “Mark Ernestus presents Jeri-Jeri” moniker – simply using the Sabar drummers’ clan name.
Since then, the project has evolved into something new in its own: From the initial pool of artists involved, Mark has handpicked a smaller core group with whom he intensified collaboration, toured throughout Europe and recorded new tracks to arrange, edit, finish production, and mix with his own, more electronic aesthetic. The album “Yermande” was released to much critical acclaim late in 2016.
The group has become a killer live outfit and has played clubs and major festivals all across Europe – including Melt!, Roskilde, Dour, OFF! in Katowice or the Festival Ile d’France in Paris – and in the process long have outgrown initial limitations. We’re more than happy to have MARK ERNESTUS & NDAGGA RHYTHM FORCE at YAAM Berlin in August!
Fusion 2019
Wed night 26th of June 1 – 5am @ Haupttresen, main bar of the festival, open air stage Function One in the center area between Turmbühne and Triebwerke –– 4 hours of Afrocentric Electro-Bass on The hottest day of the year, my 10th of rocking Fusion
Sound System Culture Set
LISTEN
A set of Jungle/D’n’B, Juke/Footwork, Afro-Rave, Rap/HipHop, and Reggae/Dancehall that I had a lot of fun playing on the awesome A-Sound System. Turnup!
Sound System Culture – on the radical roots of rave
Sorry for the short notice.
Tomorrow Friday my talk at 18:00 will be on the Insurrectionary Politics of Dancing, and dj set from 21:30 – 23:30 of Afro-centric Breaks and Jungle.
“Understanding the sound system as a social space, we want participants of different genres and scenes (from roots, dub and contemporary bass music to techno/tekno) to gather and exchange.
In a colorful program of exhibitions, live-performances, workshops, talks, discussion and diverse music Berliners and international artists are entering into a dialogue and are actively shaping the event.
Exhibitions:
– Roots of sound system music & culture – including audio examples and open dialogue by David Riley (Supported by Mr. Glue)
– UK sound systems in the 90ies – photos and input by Ed Twist
Workshop:
– “Listen! Material and Loops – A hearing experience” by E.L.L.I.
Discussion Panel (FLTI):
– “Sound Systems, Rave Collectives and Gender” by Meetup Berlin & PRIZM:Berlin
Talks:
– The revolutionary essence of social dance by He Zhao
– Sound system culture, hardcore techno and the Berlin Fuckparade by Bianca Ludewig
– Sound System Cultures of the Black Atlantic: Angolan Kuduro by Stefanie Alisch (Humboldt Universität zu Berlin)
– Rave & psychoanalysis by Feli Concat
– Musique Concrète Jungle – spatial delivery research by Lukas Jakob Löcker
Performance:
A/V synth performance by SAOU TV & Kevin Koen
Music:
– Benjammin
– Chantal
– Dj.Pult (do not dance)
– dj zhao
– Feli Concat
– Gretchen Bazooka
– Hägen Daz
– Jahminta Zulu
– Jah Forcefield (Bademah & Zentash Gigawatt Dubz)
– Jukebox Utopia
– Mila Chiral – live
– One Woman Army in Dub
– Pmp Mzk alongside Tcp (Harlekinsound / Certain:Dubs)
– Smi
– Spiriel
– Aporia Barrage
– Token
Supported by:
– VJ Flimmerkiste
– A-Sound System
– Triple P Sound System
Digital Africa 4
Digital Africa 5
The Beat Continuum: The Socio-Political Evolution of Rhythm
100 Years of Beat
Honored to have participated in the curation of this festival, and looking forward to contributing to it, speaking alongside the likes of Kodwo Eshun and playing next to JLin.
Mark your calendars: Thu, Apr 26, —Sun, Apr 29
East of the River Nile
A short version of the set i did at SPACES Festival at Iwalewahaus in Bayreuth, Germany.
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Dance Dance Revolution: The Insurrectionary Politics of Shaking It
Anarcho-Communist mega-party-mix: end of article
“If I Can’t Dance, I Don’t Want to Be Part of Your Revolution”
–Attributed to Emma Goldman
“Music is a weapon, a real weapon, in a concrete sense.”
–Desmond Tutu (1)
“Dancing is the remedy of resistance, the art of the marginalized and dispossessed.”
–Marc de la Maison (2)
NGOMA Afro Tech / Cashmere Radio
Tonight is a big big night, with top beatsmiths and djs from Uganda, UK, and Berlin providing us with outlandishly excellent sonic services in this historical NYEGE NYEGE FESTIVAL gathering on the other side of the globe.
And tomorrow all 4 of us, David Tinning, Spooky-J, Moroto Hvy Indstr, and myself will be weaving ecstatic aural tapestries on the esteemed Cashmere Radio, where there is a dopetastische absinthe bar, from 8pm to midnight.
Get your dancing shoes ready for tonight, and smoking jacket for tomorrow!
Official Ngoma Avant Classical List
Last year on this day i made the following post on Facebook:
Deleting everything from Avant Classical collection which i don’t LOVE listening to. DON’T GIVE A FUCK how highly regarded it is. Sorry Luigi Nono; sorry Brian Ferneyhough, sorry Georg Friedrich Haas. Some to all of your material has got to GO.
And some people requested screenshots.
The Journey Part 2
Rhythms of the mother continent meets Sound of Berlin: NGOMA envisions dance music of a society that we want our grand children to live in. Decolonized poly-scyncretic drum machines of a high-tech egalitarian future, constructed from the plurality of various life experiences and multiple sonic perspectives today, NGOMA fuses the best of many worlds for maximum mind expansion, soul elevation, and body intoxication.
The Journey Part 1
in anticipation of the party on Saturday, i stepped in for Moon Wheel on his show The Journey on Berlin Community Radio:
Rhythms of the mother continent meets Sound of Berlin: NGOMA envisions dance music of a society that we want our grand children to live in. Decolonized poly-scyncretic drum machines of a high-tech egalitarian future, constructed from the plurality of various life experiences and multiple sonic perspectives today, NGOMA fuses the best of many worlds for maximum mind expansion, soul elevation, and body intoxication.
Aug. 27. 2016
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NGOMA Afro Tech
Sound of Berlin meets Rhythms of the mother continent: NGOMA envisions dance music of a future society that we would want our grand children to live in. Imagining a decolonized polycultural drum machine constructed from the plurality of our various life experiences and multiple sonic perspectives, NGOMA fuses the best of many worlds for maximum mind expansion, soul elevation, and body intoxication.
Ways of Life 3: African Anarchy
There are African histories of egalitarianism and democracy independent of, and predating, modern Western progressive movements. It is time we revived them from systematic displacement and erasure, because they may hold the key to our collective future.
contemporary Northern Ghanaians holding council. Photo courtesy of Marc Becker
Indigenous Democracy
An epiphany of cosmic proportions dawned upon me during a taxi ride from Kampala International airport to the city last year. My incidental travel companion was the Ugandan film maker Dolman Dila; and in his unhurried, quiet, and measured tone, this is what he said:
“Of the 53 major “nations“ in the region today known as Uganda (name arbitrarily taken from one of them, Luganda, by the British), only 10 featured any kind of hierarchical political structure. The majority of them, with population size from 1 to 3 million, lived in entirely egalitarian organizations, voluntary cooperatives, and share/gift economies, without centralized political power, high levels of inequality, or warfare. For instance, Acholi, the 2nd largest society in Uganda, lived in communal, collaborative, and mutualistic arrangements. In these societies elders and experts were respected, and held influence, but did not have exclusive decision making power over others. In fact, the people of these societies having almost entirely no concept of power, control, domination, and subjugation was a significant factor for the ease with which Europeans conquered these lands. When an Englishmen said to them „I will rule this territory from now on“, they probably looked at each other, shrugged, and with such trust toward their fellow men, as strangely dressed as these were, said something like: “We don’t know exactly what that means, but why not, it should be fine.‘“
NGOMA July 16
Familiar club sounds of Berlin meets the Drum Sciences of the mother continent: NGOMA presents dance music of a future society that we would want our grand children to live in. Imagining a decolonized polycultural rhythm machine constructed from the plurality of our various life experiences, multiple sonic perspectives distilled, NGOMA fuses the best of many worlds for maximum mind expansion, soul elevation, and body intoxication.