The Nation Newspaper

Tag: TALKING DRUM

  • Talking drummers are not beggars – Gabination

    Currently, the rise of drummers seems to be taking the entertainment scene by storm. Gabriel Johnson, with the stage name Gabination, in this interview with The Nation, speaks on his passion for the drum and its significance as a musical instrument, his journey and other interesting issues. Enjoy

    How did the journey start?

    Playing percussion instruments has always been the best way to express or explain who I am. When I just take my drum and do some stuffs, you will understand me better.

    How did you come about the name Gabination?

    Gabination is a name that came out of amusement. When I say amusement, I mean I did an amazing stuff and people were like Gabriel for this you go still shake everywhere. Then I took the word so important. After a midnight rehearsal session in the studio with a band, I just felt like everyone was getting tired, and we still had a few minutes to gist, so I quickly picked up my drum and I changed the mood. Playing the drum and singing at the same time. The funniest part was my talking drum got torn a bit and I quickly moved to the jembe and everyone was wowed.

    And you know the jembe has a spiritual tone that usually gets you to your feet; so that got people saying ‘Gabi for the jembe’, ‘Gabi for the people’, ‘Gabi for the nation’. Then that registered. That was how the name came about.

    What do you tend to do with your talking drum in the entertainment industry?

    I want people to understand that Gabination is a performing artiste. It may be wrong to just assume that Gabination is a talking drummer. Though I play talking drum to make people enjoy the rhythm, there are lots to mention when it comes to Gabination. I am a performing artiste that uses his art to infuse talking drum into the pop culture.

    I will also like to mention that I felt the need to explore my talent in the industry due to the perception people have about talking drummers. When people talk about talking drummers, most people call them beggars or something. Some even think talking drummers are forgotten instrumentalists.

    What I seek to do in the entertainment industry is to carve a niche for my peers and change the way people view the talking drum.

    Talking drummers should not just be respected, they should be appreciated. I will also like to tell you that talking drum is not a church instrument. Some people think if you want to enjoy talking drum you need to be in the church. You can enjoy talking drum anywhere and anytime. I play my talking drum to appeal to people and create an ambience for conscious music.

    When you hear some people talk about afro pop now, you will ask: is it not the afro pop I enjoy? And you can’t blame them; the thing is they are just missing some musical elements they have been used to while growing up. So with my talking drum, I am introducing familiar musical elements that enhance conscious music.

    Is your background related to what you are doing?

    Most people link their backgrounds to what they do but mine is quite different. I’m from a happy home where all my parents want is for me to go to school.

    I have a career and a successful one. But one thing that’s brought a slight change in my career pursuit is my passion for entertainment. I was just in a boring environment and when my parents saw that I was going the music line, they stopped me from exploring.

    I’m not from a talking drum family. My name is Gabriel Johnson, not Gabriel Ayanjohnson. Every talking drum family usually has Ayan as initials.

    There seems to be emergence for young drummers, what makes your brand unique?

    My musical influences, my approach to the drum, and my unique perspective as a performing artiste.

    I’m a storyteller and my music cuts across many genres. Melodic and lyric-intensive, as every song is a story or a poem told through music.

    The world is changing drastically and no one would love to be tied to tradition in a very local way. My unique point is basically to infuse talking drum into the pop culture. I want to rebrand the drum; most importantly, as a story teller.

    With your brand, what do you tend to change in the Nigerian music scene?

    The person who played the drum in the movie Black Panta is my friend. He’s a Senegalese. He’s won the Grammy twice. I strongly believe that in the course of my exploit, I will be inspired to do what will amuse everyone for the drum to gain recognition.

    Who are your role models?

    Every successful performing artiste in the Nigerian music industry is a role model to me because my kind of music is beyond miming. Definitely, as an artiste, when you release a new song people already know about and while performing, they only want to hear a new vibe not the same way they’re used to. And this is a task for me as a new person in the industry.

    As far as I’m concerned in this drumming field, the only person who stands out as a talking drummer is Ara and she’s been there for long. I am glad that I’m joining the league of professionals.

    Do you think talking drum is appreciated in Nigeria like it used to be back in the days?

    That is why I’m in the industry to solve the problem. If you’re not a problem solver, you can’t go far. There are white people who study Yoruba language and there are some of them who play the drum and appreciate it but cultural imperialism is hitting hard into our system and we tend to easily rubbish our own heritage, that’s why king Saheed Osupa sang the song Olaju de lawa gbage asa idile wa.

    But the mistake people are making is disrespecting the drum. I’m not saying it should be worshipped, but at least … There’s a Yoruba adage that states that nani naani naani, oun ani laan naani another says teni n teni, takisa n taatan … Which means what’s yours is yours to take care.

  • Ara Thunder relishes talking drum act with President Macron

    For the burgeoning career of female talking drum exponent known as Ara Thunder, her moment with President Emmanuel Macron of France during his last visit to Nigeria was a landmark achievement.

    Macron had chosen the New Afrika Shrine, home of late Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, as venue of his cultural interaction with the arts and entertainment community, and Ara Thunder grabbed the opportunity with both hands by showing her innate talent to the world.

    As the night went down with some of the most colourful and rich display of Nigerian music, art, fashion and theatrical pieces, one of the special groups that entertained on that night was Atunda Entertainment with its three talented musical stars, Anu the Lady Ekwe, Olo omidan Bata and Ara Thunder – all three female performers who are proficient the men-dominated percussions – ekwe, talking drum and bata drum, entertaining the French president with their sonorous voices and dexterity on their respectively coveted instruments.

    In the midst of all, was the sheer show of high artistic prowess, calmness and intelligence by Ara Thunder in presenting the drum to one of the world powers that stole the night and made headlines across the world.

    All eyes watching, Ara Thunder danced through the audience to where President Macron was seated, sandwiched between Governor Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State and other officials, to present her talking drum to the visiting president.

    Looking back, the young entertainer described the show as the most ecstatic moment of her life. She sees this as a big boost for her career as she has since been receiving accolades and overtures from many people and organisations, thereby increasing her rating in the musical circuit.

    Through her electrifying performance, Ara, which in Yoruba means Thunder lived up to her name, having been groomed for greatness on the platform of Atunda Entertainment for this skill, even though she is from the Eastern part of Nigeria. Her dexterity on the talking drum not only shows the ingenuity of a woman but also the possibilities available in our vast cultural and ethnic diversity.

    Ara Thunder who has to her credit, two singles, ‘Fimisile’ and ‘Boju Boju’, which is the latest of her effort, has over the years featured in concerts within and outside the shores of Nigeria. Presently, she plays her wares alongside Anu, the lady Ekwe and Olo Omidan bata on Thursday night, weekly, at land mark leisure , Land mark towers, Victoria Island, Lagos.

    The cultural night saw President Macron officially launching African Cultural Season, which will take place in France in 2020 and hopefully, Ara Thunder and Atunda Entertainment, would play a role in this defining historical showpiece between Europe and Africa, having, on the night, played themselves to prominence.

  • DJ IRAWO: My passion for the talking drum

    DJ IRAWO: My passion for the talking drum

    Talking drum sensation, Oluwakemi Famugbode aka DJ Irawo recently opened up on her love for drumming, early struggles and support from her other half. She spoke with Edozie Udeze.

    OLUWAKEMI Famugbode (aka DJ Irawo) is no doubt a committed drummer. She is one of the very few Nigerian ladies who have chosen drumming as a way of life.  She is not only a singer, song writer, music publisher, director, musician and entertainer; she is an ambassador of sort, as she has taken drumming to different parts of the world.  Every last Saturday of the month, she, alongside other professional drummers assembles at the Freedom Park, Lagos, to play the drums and entertain visitors and tourists.

    “It is a way for us to keep the groove on,” she told The Nation in an interview.  “We come here for the fun of it.  And this is why we call it the drum circle.  It is to show the world that this form of music is not only African; it is also one of the best ways to keep this venue warm and busy.

    “It is for us to enjoy the drumming, dance to the rhythm of it as you can see.  But apart from that, I perform at different venues for different occasions.  Performance is my life and wherever there is an occasion that involves drumming and I am invited to perform, I am usually delighted to do so.  This is so because this is my profession, this is what puts food on my table,” she said.

    While Famugbode played away on stage on the day of this interview, her whole body system synchronized with the gangan drum in her hands.  She pelted away as if she was possessed by unseen spirits.  Her whole body melted in it as she pranced round the arena, beating away with mad frenzy.  “Yes, this is why I am called DJ Irawo.  When I perform live, there is element of jazz infusion into my kind of drumming,” she said as she took her seat for this chat.

    The Lagos International Jazz Festival was going on in the background.  And soon it would be her turn to mount the stage.  Yet Irawo’s key concern was to put his colleagues in the right frame of mind to dazzle the audience.  “I have been playing this since my secondary school days and it has become part of my life; part of my whole existence.  I began to drum in JSS 1.  Then I continued until I became more perfect in it.  When it was time for me to go to a tertiary institution, my parents refused to allow me study Theatre Arts.”

    Having ended up studying Accounting to satisfy her folks, Famugbode, went on to seek employment in different establishments.  She indeed ended up as an internal auditor in a couple of the firms.  But this was for a brief moment, for music still took hold of her senses.  “Yes, I didn’t last long as an internal auditor,” she confessed with a note of finality.  “I worked in three different establishments as the head of internal audit.  But I left when I couldn’t find satisfaction there to do music full time.  So, in 2015, I finally bade goodbye to whatever profession that is not music.  Today, drumming gives me all the joy I need.  When I see little children like these ones here show interest in music, dance to the beatings of the drums as if they are born with it, I feel good.  I indeed realise that drumming as a profession is taking the world by storm,”

    When she discovered she couldn’t combine music with other profession due to family pressure, Famugbode decided to concentrate on music.  A mother of three, she confessed that the coming of her children helped in slowing her down professionally.  “But all that is over now, for my children are relatively big boys.  And my husband encourages me to do music.”

    At the beginning, her parents tried to hold her back.  “My father said to me one day, ‘oh look Kemi, it is those who do not have brain that go into the university to study Theatre Arts.’  My mum also supported my dad.  But they discovered with time that I could not run away from my drums.  Each time I felt depressed, I would play the drum; indeed my only companion would be the drum.  I couldn’t depart from it, even when I struggled to satisfy my parents in certain other professional areas.”

    When she began drumming, it seemed more of a therapy for depression.  It was catching on slowly with time.  “For me, drumming is a talent.  I did not learn it from anybody.  I started in primary school by drumming on table tops.  The sounds thrilled me endlessly and often made me forget other things.  Thereafter, I joined the Boys Brigade of Nigeria of the Anglican Church.  There, I played the drums for them.  From there I got a scholarship to study music at the Wale Adenuga’s School of Performing Arts.  After that I have been having some drumming sessions every now and then with not only other drummers but with children who show interest in it early enough.”

    For her, different sounds of the drums in Yoruba culture mimic the movement of the body.  Each body language is interpreted by the sound of the drum whether it is bata or gangan.  This is what thrills Famugbode most whenever the sounds are made.  “Even when the drum is played from a long distance and you hear the sound, you can interpret it immediately.  It makes your body to move, while at the same time alerting your senses.  If it is in the palace, it tells an Oba that someone has died or that something very important has happened or about to happen.”

    It is clear that the drums convey essential messages to the initiated.  Most often, the sounds decode messages meant to keep a whole community on its toes.  This is why Famugbode’s primary concern is to keep this tradition ever afloat.  She said: “I can sing different songs with my drum in Igbo, Hausa and Yoruba and other languages to keep people informed of certain issues.  I do other alternatives to the talking drum.  For me, the message and the understanding of it is the most important.  As far as I am concerned, it is not only set in Yoruba or meant for the Yorubas alone.  All of us have the need to hearken to the voice of the drums.  It is a great tradition; it is good for us as Africans, as people who want to keep our heritage intact.”

    Even as she and others played, the underlying lyrics of jazz kept emanating from the sounds.  Some tourists who came around stood in clusters, gyrating to the deep rhythmic sounds of the drums.  This was even as some children who have mastered the messages of the drums took turns to demonstrate the imperativeness of the event.  Famugbode looked steadily at them for a while and said, “You can see the dance steps interpret each sound differently, but also in synergy with the beatings.  When I supervise my people, I also tell them to make drumming more meaningful.”

    As an artist, she equally directs music for films.  This is why she is a well-known figure in the Nollywood industry.  “When a film producer or director contacts me, all I do is get a copy of the film to be able to know what sounds to go with it.  I then organise the songs they want to sing.  I also do background sounds for films.  I do all these to go with the theme of the film and the message it has for the audience.  Generally, I am a sound designer.”

    Composing songs to rhyme with gangan which is her favourite drum is what gives Famugbode her greatest thrill.  “I compose songs on my own to suit my whims as well as the sounds of my drums.” This way, she uses talking drums which she infuses into hip-hop to produce her own peculiar sounds.  Some of these unique sounds are what her fans and followers yearn for whenever she appears on stage.

    “Yes, I equally infuse this drumming into afro to produce a deeper jazzy sound.  And whenever I perform on stage, these elements totally define my uniqueness.  Often, people are fascinated and wonder how I do it.  But it is my selling point; it is my forte.  Generally, the idea is for me to continue with it and then make people interested in it,” she concluded with unbridled satisfaction.

  • HOW I USE TALKING DRUM TO PLAY Jazz

    HOW I USE TALKING DRUM TO PLAY Jazz

    As a child, Oluwakemi Famugbode Adetula took to playing the drums. Now an adult and mother of three boys, she’s blazing a trail with her Gangan (talking drum) on a path traditionally meant for men. More known as Irawo Drumline, Oluwakemi, who also practices accounting for creative businesses, speaks to Joe Agbro Jr. about her journey into the world of talking drums thus far

    MANY drummers realise they have drumming talents from tapping on wood. Such was the case with Oluwakemi Famugbode Adetula. She started drumming at age 10 when she was in JSS 1 at the Lagos State Model College, Badore, Ajah. As a boarder, the table tops and wardrobes were outlets she used in honing her drumming skills.

    “People liked it,” said Oluwakemi, who was also in the school’s choral group and dance theatre. “It was just a hobby. I used to drum for my friends.”

    However, the urge to pursue the hobby took another dimension after she finished secondary school. She joined the Boys Brigade of Nigeria at St. Johns Anglican Church, Satellite Town, Lagos where she and her family worshipped. This time, she played the snare drums and the tenor drums. It was then her parents knew she played the drums. Her dad was even pulled in to become one of the patrons of the Boys Brigade.

    “My members always wanted me to play (with them) because anytime I’m with them they make more money because people are always thrilled to see a female drummer,” Oluwakemi recollects of her time with the Boys Brigade. “And I took the snare drum which is usually in front.”

    In fact, the latter part of her name, Irawo Drumline, came during that stint. “The tenor drum, bass drum, snare drum and other things make up the drumline.”

    All this while, she had not yet got admission to higher institution. She later studied accounting at Yaba College of Technology, Lagos but continued rehearsing with the Boys Brigade. After that, she got admission to study accounting at the Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye, Ogun State.

    She had met her husband in 1995 while still playing in the Boys Brigade and they got married in 2002. She became Mrs Adetula.

    From accountancy to playing drums

    HAVING trained as an accountant, Oluwakemi worked intermittently between 1997 and 2012 in the corporate world. But she wasn’t fulfilled. “I hated Mondays. I don’t like traffic and usually most of the jobs I got were on the Island and I lived in the Mainland.”

    It was time to become an entrepreneur. The mother of three boys started her own accounting firm, Axiom Corporate, in 2013, after giving birth to her last child. “It was to help SMEs,” she said. She later relaxed on it. Earlier, she had started Drumline Entertainment in 2007 while at music school. According to her, “people were not taking it (the accounting business) serious” because she was combining accounting which people consider as a serious profession side by side music. She, however, merged the accounting side of the business with Drumline. “Under Drumline now, I have the accounting aspect where I consult for music and creative industry people,” she said. “I do accounting for people in that area because they now take me serious. I stopped Axiom Corporate but I cannot stop my music for anything.”

    While the school has started with teaching drumming, it will kick off fully in January 2016 and dovetail into teaching other aspects of music as well as the business side. “We’ll teach how creative people should account for their business  all those things that are not really taken serious, alongside with music.”

    It had been a winding journey for Oluwakemi. After graduating from the university, she had participated in the one-year mandatory National Youth Service Corps in Lagos. During that period, she took part in music and drumming. “I was in the Lagos State Cultural Troupe. I played the talking drum as well. We represented Lagos State at the annual NYSC cultural competition in Abuja in 2006.”

    Though her troupe didn’t win the competition, the experience was a baptismal of sorts for Oluwakemi. “That was the first time I would perform on stage with the talking drum,” she said. “I wasn’t an expert then because I was still learning.”

    It would take seeing Ara and Ayanbirin, two contemporary female drummers to set Oluwakemi back to her love. “I said ‘this is what I want to do,’” she recalled.

    An opportunity presented itself when she saw an advert for a scholarship to study music at Pencil and Film Television Institute, PEFTI, in 2007. She applied for and got the scholarship. One student was to be chosen for each department for the available scholarships. She got the scholarship for music.

    She, however, said that before getting the scholarship, she had always been curious about how talking drums made music. In 2005, she approached Mr Taiye Alujo, a talking drum expert, who she said is still her mentor, that she wanted to learn the talking drum. She learnt rudiments of drumming from him.

    “It took me six months to learn the rudiments,” said Oluwakemi. “But to perfect it and use it the way I use it now, it took me about three years.” But the learning process continues for her. “I always learn something every day. I still learn new idioms, new proverbs, the panegyrics (oriki) of a particular town. Maybe I want to praise someone from Ijebu, someone from Ilesha  all those ones are very technical.” She needs those to be able to perform at specialised events. “It’s a continuous process,” she said.

    But while the Gangan is seen as a Yoruba instrument, Oluwakemi has deployed it to jazz. To her, that is misconception she gets frequently.

    “People believe that because I play the talking drum, it’s a cultural instrument, but to me it’s not a cultural instrument as such. For me, it’s just like any other musical instrument. But because (they’re) older than I am, I don’t want to argue with them.”

    At PEFTI, Oluwakemi had learnt the theory of music and the drum set. She followed by composing songs. But she discovered that playing the drum set put her in the background. It was not a position cherished. But with the talking drum, the player stayed in front. And the fact that the talking drum is an African instrument appealed more to her.

    “I wanted where people would see me, where I could also dance with the drum. That was why I chose the talking drum as my major. So I could stay in the forefront, I could sing. Unlike the drum set. Apart from that, I wanted an instrument that would give me melody like the violin.”

    Though Oluwakemi learnt how to play the violin afterwards in 2009, she has adopted the talking drum, deploying it as her choice instrument to play jazz music.

    Becoming Irawo

    SHE had wanted to use her name but at music school during her graduating performance at PEFTI, that changed. When asked her name, she simply stated ‘Oluwakemi Adetula.’ The manager thought the name was too boring considering what she did. She then thought of how people came out to see when the drum is being played. “It’s like a star,” she said. “And that’s how I feel. When I play the talking drum, people want to come and see whether it’s true that it’s a lady playing it. The talking drum is like a star that makes people come and watch.” Irawo,a Yoruba word, means ‘star’ in English. Hence, she became Irawo Drumline, a name she has adopted for her brand.

    At present, she runs a music school which incorporates accounting consultancy for creative businesses. Recently, she held a workshop and concert where she played some classical pieces from Beethoven, Victor Uwaifo (Joromi), Osita Osadebe (Osondi Owendi) with the talking drum.

    “I cut across all languages,” she said.

    “We cannot go far if we keep saying the talking drum is only for the Yoruba. It has to be contemporary. And that is what I use it for. I use it as a jazz instrument.”

    Finance as the challenge

    THOUGH, enmeshed in full-time drumming and music training with her outfit, Drumline Entertainment, Oluwakemi says, “has not been easy. It’s more of an advocate job that I’m doing now. It’s not lucrative now. People are still trying to see, ‘okay, what is she doing?’ I believe that by the time I release my album and shoot some videos and promote it, people would understand exactly what I do.”

    But like many small ventures, Oluwakemi says finance has been the greatest hurdle she has had to deal with so far.

    “When I go for events, people would not want to pay. They would say they are promoting you.”

    But after being in the industry for a while and attending professional meets, like the recently organised Copyright Society of Nigeria (COSON) conference on digital marketing in Lagos, Oluwakemi knows better.

    “At a point in time, you should draw a line between when we get paid and when we’re promoting,” she quips.

    “People don’t want to pay for intellectual property. But you need to get paid because without music, other things would not flow in this world.”

    Her debut album, a 21-tracker, is due out in February 2016.