Lukas Ligeti
Afrikan Machinery
Tzadik
by Al Kaufman
When you have been commissioned to compose for the Kronos Quartet, and have drummed for experimental demigod John Zorn, you are not a typical musician. Lukas Ligeti is not a typical musician.
On his second solo album, Afrikan Machinery, composer/percussionist Ligeti plays mostly the marimba lumina, an electric marimba designed by Don Buchia, a pioneer in synthesized music. With it, he makes sounds that suggest a rain storm in the 22nd century, music for a science museum main attraction, and, occasionally, Halloween music with the shrieking ghost sounds removed.
Ligeti has spent a great deal of time in Africa. He has taught composition at the University of Ghana, and co-leads the West African electronica band, Burkina Electric. For this album, he has taken snapshots of various African sounds and filtered them through his unique musical mind. The resulting polyrhythmic music is captivating and often times hypnotizing. Occasionally it becomes a bit too repetitive, but it never bores. This is not music to turn on before cleaning the house. This is music to drink up and fully absorb.
Lukas Legeti plays Eyedrum on Wednesday, October 1st. 9 pm. $8.
