Kaloli is the debut full-length LP from Kampala’s darkest electro-percussion group Nihiloxica on cult Belgian label Crammed Discs. The album marries the propulsive Ugandan percussion of the Nilotika Cultural Ensemble with technoid analog synth lines and hybrid kit playing from the UK’s pq and Spooky-J. The result is something otherworldly. Kaloli journeys through the uncharted space between two cultures of dance music, where the expression of traditional elements mutates into something more sinister and nihilistic.
Released on the 12th of June, 2020.
Returning to Nyege Tapes after a year on tour, Biiri sees Nihiloxica descending deeper into the depths of Bugandan techno. On their debut we caught Nihiloxica in a proto-typical, nascent state. These songs on the other hand are road hardened constructions that demonstrate the evolution of the band, and the conversation between two cultures.
By focusing even more on the indigenous; by utilizing the natural impetus of Bugandan rhythms such as the loping, bipolar Baksimba groove, Nihiloxica unleash the full force of this ancient tradition. Recorded live in single takes at Boutiq Studios in Kampala, Uganda between October and December 2018.
Released on the 13th of February, 2019.
Nihiloxica was released on Nyege Nyege Tapes on the 30th of November 2017 and printed on 100 limited cassettes. The eponymous debut EP brought indigenous Ugandan drums in tune with dark, forboding techno inspired synth lines in a project designed for mayhem in the live environment.
In a collaboration with Kampala’s Nilotika Cultural Ensemble – a charitable organisation in the city that promotes drumming and tailoring as a means of ‘spiritual upliftment’ for the youth – the UK’s Spooky-J and pq bring the spirit of what dance music means in the sweaty basements of Leeds and inject it into the ancient Bugandan drumming tradition of Uganda.
Released on the 30th of November, 2017.