The explosion of tribal elements in house, minimal and techno tracks continues unabated, more than a year since it exploded on the global underground. Whether it be a subtle inflection of a deep conga hit or a heavier pounding tribal groove, the raw sounds of Africa and Latin America have carved themselves an integral place in cutting-edge dance production. With so many sample products out there offering ‘the authentic sound of ethnic dance’ which ones really deliver? Here’s my pick of the very best….
Best Service – Voodoo Grooves
If you’re after truly authentic field recordings that absolutely BREATHE the African Savannah then this is a must. Featuring a whopping 400+MB of spectacular and mysterious sounds (800 in all) from voodoo ceremonies in Benin / Africa, stunningly captured at their origin using the finest available field recording equipment, this has sat at the top of the S2S percussion charts for over a year. And at just £19.90 it’s something of a no-brainer of a buy. It also includes some awesome vocal chants – ideal for topline interest or breakdowns. More here.
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Sample Magic – Tribal Tech-House
Sample Magic always deliver, and in Tribal Tech-House you get 100+ inspired live afro-tribal workouts and sparse synthetic beatlines, all with distrinct techno flair. Add these to the 200+ jackin’ tops and beats – and the quality drum one-shots – and you’ve got a truly heavyweight release. The great thing about the percussion loops here is that they are pre cut, mixed and optimised to slip perfectly into house and techno mixes. Check it out here. The demo shows off 20+ percussion-only loops.
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DrumDog – Tribal Drum Hits
We’ve always loved DrumDog sounds at S2S. Using an all-analogue signal chain gives the sounds an air, warmth and clarity that is unusual in sample land, and if you make your own beats then they’re well worth checking out. Tribal Drum Hits offers a vast selection of African and Latin American percussion hits backed with a generous helping of chunky kicks, snares, hats and crashes. The collection includes a whopping 248 percussion hits, 133 kicks, 86 snares and 95 hats – all split into usefully named folders to make sample finding a breeze. Check it out here.
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Sony – World Percussion
If you want tribal loops performed by a genuine master of the art then Sony’s World Percussion comes recommended. It boasts 460+MB worth of raw underground loops exhibiting the perfect marriage of ancient and modern sounds and technologies, crafted by an artist with an intimate understanding of both. Congas, Djembes, Bells, Shakers, Breketes, Dumbeks, Drons and Sogos are joined with more esoteric instruments including Tars, X Frame, Djoun, Clay Pots, Xylos and Talking Drums. A dedicated student of African percussion instruments, performer Marc Anderson’s historical knowledge and performance skills are matched only by his technical expertise of recording all facets of his instruments. Check it out here.
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Bluezone Corp – Afro-Tribal Drumloops
For high-quality, budget inspiration straight out of the pack, give this is an audition. A down and dirty rhythm injection of rich, warm, organic African and ethnic tribal percussion loops aimed squarely at the dancefloor, Afro-Tribal Drumloops comes with 96 4-bar percussive loops (two bars plus two bars variant). These loops are broken into pre-mixed loops (containing a mix of hats, vox shouts, minimal electrix, and multiple percussive elements) and stripped ‘just percussion’ loops, featuring a range of bongos, congas, djembe, darbuka and more. Check it out here.
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