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Last year, SWP label owner Michael Baird headed into Lesotho (a tiny country completely surrounded by South Africa) to see if there were any lesiba players left. The lesiba is a long, wood instrument played cocked to the side, with a hand cupped to hold it to the mouth. Occasionally resembling the lower register of a saxophone or the oinks of a hog, it’s one of the strangest sounds a Westerner is likely to hear. Yet it’s highly melodic, often wavering sing-songishly while the player grunts behind it. Baird’s disc features six different lesiba players, as well as recordings of the sekhankula, a one-string, gas can resonator fiddle. The sekhankula tunes sound somewhat metallic and wind swept, but incredibly repetitive and melodic. Ultimately, this is a disc which only reveals itself after a few listens however, the reward of hearing unique and little-known Southern African folk music makes it well worthwhile.
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