Inhalt: Drums hold a very special place in African history and culture. For much of the world, drums are mainly relegated to the realm of entertainment, adding another musical dimension to songs and other performances. In Africa, drums hold symbolic meanings that have played an important part in the history of the people who call the continent their home. Considered the heartbeat of Africa, they unite the people of the continent, binding their pulses together in rhythm. Although percussion takes centre stage, this collection also features an array of melodic instrumentation that thrives in such fertile rhythmic conditions. The opener by Wayo is taken from their album Trance Percussion Masters Of South Sudan,and is a celebration of the joy of communal music making, as the beating drums and hypnotic chants summon the ancient polyrhythms of Africa's newest nation. This track wasn't made by a soloist, by a band, or even by an orchestra – this was made by a village. During the music-making process, three villagers play the kpaningbo, a large wooden xylophone. Another man sits atop the gugu,a log drum, and alters its pitch by lifting his leg up and down. Other villagers circle around the ensemble, switching in and out to play the drums. Bells and other hand-drums are also passed from person to person at will. This relay race approach to percussive participation adds a tangible fluidity to every riff and figure, the mood and timbre ever changing and ever unique. In bordering Kenya, the musical revivalists Kenge Kenge have long been guardians and masters of an ancient but living tradition. With a name which roughly translated, means 'fusion of small, exhilarating instruments', their music is a return to traditional Luo instruments, from which the ever popular benga beat originally drew its sound. The track 'Obare Yinda' is a tribute to Mr Yinda, a benefactor of the band who sacrificed so much to make sure that Kenge Kenge's music reached out to diverse audiences throughout Kenya and beyond. Seamlessly infusing his B