"I don't have a background in woodwork. I don't have a background in music. I just have a background in trying" Walter KitunduNowadays we are used to see new and innovative musical instruments coming out from digital technology - think synthesizers, sound modules, samplers, etc. All very polished, very perfected, and with thousands of features to master if we want to take full advantage of its power.
What we are not so used to see is the creation of new musical instruments that come from a fresh mechanical remix of parts and acoustic principles of existing instruments. Enter the 'phonoharp': a mix of turntable, harp, dj mixer, resonance box, and analogue drum box.
It would take longer to try to describe how it sounds when it is played than to just hear Mr Kitundu playing this new breed of postmodern instrument. Not surprisingly, just a month ago the MacArthur foundation has awarded him one of its presitgious fellowships together with a half a milion dollars that will surely help him experiment with larger and more complex instruments that he has already sketched in his mind. Stay tuned.
Walter Kitundu demonstrating the PhonoKora
A KQED story on Walter Kitundu
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