In the rain forests of Cameroon near the Congo border, a group of Baka musicians have been busy composing music. Inspired by their own traditional songs and by the Congolese music they hear blasting out of the bars on their trips into town, these rain forest dwellers play guitars brought to them by Martin Cradick of the British based band "Baka Beyond" to develop their own truly unique style. Dubbed "Orchestre Baka de Gbiné", the group has been recorded on location in the African forest using Digital Performer, the 828mkII and the Traveler.
Martin Cradick has been taking his PowerBook to the rain forest since 2003. All songs were recorded live using a mobile, solar-powered studio based around an Apple Powerbook set up under a giant tree in the forest where the musicians live.
828mkII recording setup (2004).
In 2004, Martin set up a 6-track recording system powered by a solar-charged car battery and inverter. This system included a Titanium PowerBook running Digital Performer, a MOTU 828mkII and a 4-channel mic preamp.
"Big Tree Studio" (2005).
Martin found that 6 microphones were not quite enough, so at the beginning of 2005, he replaced the 828mkII with a MOTU Traveler. With this rig, he was able to set up 8 microphones to capture the Baka’s music live.
Recording session (2005).
The recordings made during these last two trips are the basis for all of the material on the forthcoming album. And through it all, Martin's MOTU gear has withstood the rigors of third-world travel and the extreme challenges of remote jungle recording. The flawless performance of MOTU products in this harsh environment is a testimony to their ruggedness.
Two songs from the forthcoming album, "Gati Bongo" and "Muzzelman", have just been released in early December and are now available exclusively on iTunes.com. The full album, as yet unnamed will be released in Spring, 2006, followed by a UK tour with Baka Beyond at the end of April.
Royalties earned from these recordings are channeled back to the Baka musicians and their communities through the UK-based charity Global Music Exchange. So far, this charity has helped fund the following projects:
- Assistance with primary health care
- ID cards for the musicians and their extended family group
- The construction of a music house / culture center for the community
All of these projects have been financed using funds raised from recordings of their own music over the last 14 years.
If you would like to support the Baka musicians, you can do so by purchasing their two singles at itunes.com. Just search for "Gati Bongo" and "Muzzelman".
The music house / culture center was built with funds generated by royalties from their own music.
Martin Cradick has recently been asked to record a festival of traditional music from the African Rift Valley at Arber Minch in Ethiopia. He will be taking his MOTU Traveler and Digital Performer software with him this month (December, 2005). This project is being organised by Global Music exchange and funded by the Christensen Fund. You can read more about this excursion here, or email him at martin@baka.co.uk.