Sonic Pluriverse Festival: Terapia - Aïta Mon Amour, Nihiloxica

In the organizer's words:

Aïta Mon Amour

Under the project name Aïta Mon Amour, Widad Mjama, known as the first female rapper from the Maghreb and a member of the hip-hop collective Thug Gang, is collaborating with Khalil Epi, an electronic musician and virtuoso on the loutar and mandole. Together they are trying to rescue Aïta's poetic treasure from oblivion and re-contextualize it in the contemporary digital world. Aïta or عيطة means "call", "cry" or "lament" in Moroccan Arabic and is just as significant as the Gnawa or Raï genres, which also originate from North Africa. The Chikhates - singers, healers and guardians of a tradition that dates back to the twelfth century - have passed down Aïta in colloquial Arabic and lent the music an expressive freedom of sound and feminist perspective that positions itself against injustice.

In a symbolic passing of the torch across generations, Widad Mjama revisits Aïta poems and melodies, combining heritage and innovation as well as heartfelt expression and contemporary resonance. Aïta Mon Amour preserve the spirit of tradition and pay homage to these remarkable women. Each verse is a testament to Widad Mjama's graceful embodiment of her heritage.

Nihiloxica

Nihiloxica draw on the drumming tradition of Buganda, the largest of Uganda's historical kingdoms, and combine it with techno, analog synthesizer sounds and heavy metal influences. The project was born in 2016 when members of the Nilotika Cultural Ensemble, a collective led by Jajja Kalanda that shares spiritual and musical expertise with disadvantaged communities in Kampala, met British producers Peter Jones (aka pq) and Jacob Maskell-Key (aka Spooky-J). Isolated from the outside world, they spent a month working on their debut EP, which was released on the Nyege Nyege Tapes label in 2017, followed by a second EP the following year. After their acclaimed first album Kaloli, the LP Source of Denial was released on Crammed Discs in 2023.

With hypnotic polyrhythms, diverse sonic textures and complex layering of subtly shifting loops, Nihiloxica create a soundscape characterized by richness and depth. Their performances consist of energetic rhythmic experiments reminiscent of trance-like states. They pay homage to the drums, which are essential for connecting the communities in Buganda with their ancestors in ceremonies and healing and dance rites.

Two drums have a special significance in Buganda: the embuutu (or big drum) and the engalabi (long drum). The embuutu, also known as the "female drum", provides the main melody for dance and daily life, while the engalabi, considered the "male drum", is characterized by wooden sticks pressed into the skin and its ornate resonating body. The engalabi plays an important role in ceremonies such as Okwabya Olumbe and symbolizes the descendants of deceased people.

In Luganda, the language of the Baganda people living in Buganda, the phrase "tugenda mungalabi" means "we are going to the engalabi". The phrase describes drumming together over a longer period of time and exemplifies the inspiration and meaning of the name Nihiloxica. It is derived from Nilotika, the ensemble's original name, and from nihilism, which the group understands to mean a state of radical acceptance comparable to mindfulness. The reference to toxicity stands for the unconventional fusion of sounds. From the outset, the band, which unites continents, saw itself as a live project that aims to promote intercultural dialog and reshape electronic music by integrating African percussion.