Baker's Dozen

Artists discuss the 13 records that shaped their lives

13. VariousBurundi: Musiques Traditionnelles

I got interested a while ago while I was trying to find new ways of using the voice. One of the pieces here is performed by two female voices, and it’s so powerful to realise that, through their arpeggios, they’re creating a third voice. As a musician, I think I have the power to disassociate elements in my brain and understand how things are laid out, but this one becomes a commentary in my brain, and I love it: ‘Who’s doing what? Wait – what? Why?’ I really love that complexity, that is more like musicologists’ research, a taste of something so contextualised and impossible to grasp. Even the breathing techniques are fantastic to look at.

Previous

The Quietus Digest

Sign up for our free Friday email newsletter.

Support The Quietus

Our journalism is funded by our readers. Become a subscriber today to help champion our writing, plus enjoy bonus essays, podcasts, playlists and music downloads.

Support & Subscribe Today