West Java: Sudanese Jaipong &C

Strong, versatile fem. vox accompanied by hypnotic chiming, hand drumming, and an assortment of other traditional gong and mallet instruments, such as xylophone. A male “choir” responds to the female lead’s short, pointed phrases with ruffled background ramblings. For the broader musical and cultural context of the music, refer to the liner notes, which are excellent (as you’d expect from a nonesuch production). Cool stuff.

Track 1: The center piece of the album, showcasing Idjah’s singing prowess. Almost like a slow-tempo drone.

Track 2: Tempo increases from slow to mid/up as the track progresses. Noisy male choir weighs in from time to time.

Track 3: Somewhat higher pitched fem. vox., almost wailing in parts. Shouting by male choir.

Track 5: Very slow tempo, minimalistic, almost whisper-like female crooning, textured by robab (violin) chords.

Track 6: Much more male participation, more energetic piece, lots of midtempo drumming and yelling, almost like a dance track.