Mesmeric dance music
Adventurous Gamelan orchestra with two drummers plays mesmeric dance music
Ensemble Nist-Nah is a eight-piece hybrid Gamelan / percussion group led by Nantes-based Australian drummer and percussionist Will Guthrie.
Their music is influenced by traditional music from Indonesia but takes this in adventurous new directions. From the stately suspended temporality of the Javanese Gamelan Sekatan, to the delirious, thuggish repetition of the Javanese trance ritual Jathilan, to the shimmering acoustic glitch of contemporary Balinese composer Dewa Alit, Guthrie pays tribute to this sophisticated yet elemental percussion music whilst drawing on Roscoe Mitchell’s percussion works, Henry Threadgill’s multi-directional improvisatory music, as well as cross cultural adventures from the likes of Trevor Watts, Michael Ranta and Mike Cooper.
Bringing together 8 musicians from eclectic and mixed backgrounds, Nist-Nah hosts a wealth of experience and expertise, and has given performances and workshops at international festivals, universities, prisons, squats, schools and community centres. In June 2025 Ensemble Nist-Nah released their third album entitled SPILLA on Black Truffle Records.
Ensemble Nish-Nah are: Charles Dubois, Paula Escobar, Will Guthrie, Irina Leach, Sven Michel, Julien Ouvrard, Ellen Pelé, Lou Voisin (Gamelan, percussion, drums)
Book your spot: https://thegulbenkian.co.uk/events/ensemble-nist-nah/
£5
Address
Ensemble Nist-Nah
University of KentCanterburyCT2 7NB
CT2 7NB
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