‘Nuku’ brings together Togolese Vodou ensemble E’DU and French producer Judgitzu in a two part release rooted in Vodou practice.
The first piece is a collaboration developed during a residency in Togo. It draws on Adbadja, Dan and Sakpate rhythms. These are warrior, serpent and earth based forms used in Vodou ceremonies in southern Benin and Togo to prepare bodies, mark initiation and call forces.
Drums, bells and call and response vocals sit at the centre. Repetition is the method. Patterns circle and lock while small shifts accumulate over time. Judgitzu’s electronics follow the same logic. Tempo changes stay slight, pitches move in semitones, and sections grow through layering rather than breaks. Bass and synthesis extend the force of the drums without softening them.
The second piece presents E’DU on their own, focusing on the ensemble’s percussion and vocal interplay within the same rhythmic traditions.
Nuku, the Ewe word for “eye”, refers to attention and instinct. The methods are old. The tools are current. The aim is trance. Out now on Nyege Nyege Tapes.
Purchase Cassette: EDU & JUDGITZU – Nuku
Joyful Union Cassette Resource 