Drum Machine is the title of Arsenal Mikebe's 2024 album, and the title could hardly be more apt. The three musicians Ssentongo Moses, Dratele Epiphany and Luyambi Vincent de Paul create a unique expression where organic drumming and machine sounds merge into a kind of hand-played techno. It's both breathtaking to listen to and watch as the three musicians dressed in suits become one organism standing around their specially designed drum kit, which they all play at the same time!
The drum kit takes on the character of an impressive steel sculpture created by Ugandan artist Henry Segamwenge, and the three sublime drummers conjure anything from hard techno to wild polyrhythms and trance inducing vibes from the sculpture. An intense experience elevated by the chanting vocals and ghostly echoing effects.
Hailing from Uganda's capital Kampala, Arsenal Mikebe is part of the musical collective Nyege Nyege, who have taken the world by storm with their Afrofuturistic visions. With their radical take on danceable African music, Nyege Nyege have also created overwhelming experiences at Roskilde Festival several times.
Arsenal Mikebe are ready to take up the torch in a unique show where bodies and metal flow together in a sensory bombardment of drum sounds. We can almost guarantee you've never seen anything like it.
