Dabi,an internationally recognised percussionist ,singer,dancer,a
true Griot ,born in Nigeria, West Africa,comes from a family of Master
Drummers of the Yoruba tribe The Aare Ilu Household of Iseyin ,a town in
Oyo State ,Nigeria .
From an early age dancing and drumming formed an intrinsic part of his
life. He was raised in the Yoruba tribal culture, one that works, worships,
lives and breathes to the beat of the drum, which has been primarily used
to transmit traditional knowledge.
At home in Nigeria,he is known for his expertise in every genre from gangan
to bata,akuba.gudugudu, Ogido,ashiko,bembe,kongaa sakara, agidigbo.
Between 1990 to 2002 Dabi has toured internationally performing in dozens
of high-profile festivals and independent tours of USA,Germany,Italy,Spain,France,
Canada,India,Austria Scadinavian,Japan, South Korea ,Poland,Jamaica,Holland
and United Kingdom.
Apart from being steeped in Yoruba tradition as a ritual drummer, a flexible
and experimental virtuoso of international calibre
":Debo Dabi Kanyinsola, a rare talent of his kind, an all -round
master drummer and who is accomplished in an array of Yoruba traditions
and drumming styles. He has emerged over a decade as the most
revered gangan drummer in Nigeria and perhaps the most famous gangan drummer
in the world."-- Africa Today"
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"My father (May God rest his soul) was a legendary drummer,and my grandfather
too. All my ancestors,ever since we can remember . dedicated to this noble
work."
Scholars have deduced that while melody and harmony are
preeminent in traditional European music (and the West
generally speaking) in African music (more so in West
Africa) rhythm is king.
The drum is the greatest purveyor
of rhythm. And rhythm is arguably the most definitive of
musical style in popular contemporary music. Although we
use the drums in our music, mostly to create grooves and
stimulate dance, in traditional Yoruba music the drum
plays more diverse roles. They do much more than stimulate
dance, especially in the sacred worship of Yoruba deities.
In my band, we use the four major families of Yoruba
drums. Each family consists of drums of different sizes
playing generally slave/master, support/lead roles. In
each instance, the mother drum (iya ilu) plays the lead
role. The four families are Dundun/Gangan, Bata, Sakara,
Ogido/Gbedu. Traditionally, each family has a complete
ensemble. Oftentimes we use different drums from different
families together, and other times, we play the drums as
complete ensembles as they are used traditionally.
Although the Yorubas utilise the flute, agidigbo and goje
just as there are lots of melodic and harmonic instruments
in other African cultures- kora, marimba, mbira, oja (ibo
flute), kalimba, etc. their music is predominantly driven
by drums and other percussion instruments. Drums, drums
and more drums.
Dundun ensemble
This is the hour glass drum commonly referred to as the talking
drum. Actually, most Yoruba drums mimic speech (talk)
The iya ilu leads the whole ensemble. It leads
the talk, dictates the pace, determines the song etc.
The
Omele genus comprises
(i) Isaju (fixed
high pitched dundun) Its pitch is fixed to a high tone by tying the tension
strings.
(ii) Atele (fixed low pitched dundun) By tying its
tension strings, its pitch is fixed to a lower tone than the isaju.
Each of these two drums plays a different rhythm. Their
combined groove is the foundation on which the bigger mum drums build their own
rhythms. The isaju literarily means 鍍he one that leads in front・while atele
means 鍍he one that follows the lead・
This basic 斗eader & follower・principle is common to the
other Yoruba drum ensembles used in my music. The drums may bear different names
but the same roles hold for each of these families. Although some omele lead
while others follow, they are still all subject to the overall leadership of the
iya ilu (the mother drums)
The dundun family usually includes one gudugudu which is shaped
like a bowl. It is beaten with two leather beaters while all the other drums are
played with one bent wooden stick while the other hand is used directly on the
drum.
The Dundun Family
 
IYA-ILU ................................................................................................................Atele
 
Omele.........Isaju.........................................................Gudugudu
A more portable version of the dundun is more popularly used in urban social
music. This is called the gangan. It also has a complete family of iya ilu and
omele just like the dundun family. It is common to mix drums from these two size
categories. The dundun has a bigger and deeper sound than the gangan.
This basic nuclear family is usually extended by multiplying
the drums and players. So an extended dundun family could include 1 gudugudu, 6
isaju, 6 atele, and 6 iya ilu. There are often many more in a large
ensemble.
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