The didgeridoo is certainly one of the oldest instruments in the world, but thanks to its sound spectrum, it is also resolutely modern. It can even claim to have been one of the driving forces behind the creation of a new style: Natural Trance. In fact, it didn’t take long—at the end of the 90s during the didgeridoo boom—for some players to launch into a fusion of textures, sounds, and timbres, all based essentially on purely acoustic instruments and with the goal of making people dance. To be completely honest, I’m not an expert in this genre of music, but since the bands mentioned in this article use the didgeridoo, I still know them a little! So I invite you to discover (in place of festivals this summer?) six Natural Trance bands that should get you moving!
Kaophonic Tribu
Kaophonic can be quickly described as a clever blend of a didgeridoo (combined with numerous effects), a set of African percussion, a bass, and vocals. I’ll tell you right away: with Kaophonic, I’m not neutral! It was indeed their first album that made me want to play the didgeridoo. Especially track no. 3, a piece that still teleports me back to my early days of playing. I particularly love the didgeridoo sound they achieved in the mix. In my opinion, Manu (Kaophonic’s didgeridoo player) had found a beautiful balance in integrating the didgeridoo with the other instruments. Kaophonic is no longer performing today, but you can of course listen to them on YouTube.
High Light Tribe
High Light Tribe is one of the (the?) pioneers of Natural Trance. Unlike Kaophonic, High Light Tribe relies almost entirely on acoustic instruments, often coming from all over the world, to create their music… without a trace of machines on stage. They have now been touring for over 20 years across festivals and continue to experiment, seeking to fuse new instruments and new textures. Considering their presence online, they can be regarded as the reference in the genre.
La P’tite Fumée
La P’tite Fumée comes from the green valleys of Ariège (at least that’s the image I have!) This group of friends, as they like to call themselves, began performing in 2014. Since then, this energetic and festive band has continued to grow in popularity and reach. They now play in many festivals, blending on stage didgeridoo (you guessed it ;-)), percussion, flute, guitar, bass, and drums. Add to that some wild electronic samples, high energy, and you’ve got everything you need to keep people dancing for a long time!
Djemdi
I don’t know if Djemdi fits strictly in the Natural Trance category, but I wanted to mention them anyway because their approach is close to this movement. Djemdi consists of a didgeridoo player and bassist (Baptiste Vallet, whom I interviewed here), another didgeridoo player (Kéké), and two djembe percussionists. Their music is dynamic and much more centered on the didgeridoo than the other groups mentioned in this article. Today, the band has stopped, but the two didgeridoo players have since started a new project, Didgital. I’ll let you discover all of that in Baptiste’s interview!
Goayandi
Goayandi is a band that emerged in the 2000s in the acoustic Trance scene. Although their influence was not as strong as the first three mentioned, they still managed to make a place for themselves in this style. Alongside the didgeridoo, you’ll also find instruments such as the sitar, the djembe, and the jaw harp. Here, filters and effects create powerful music, reinforced by a techno kick and a driving bass line. Based on the latest news on their website, it seems the band is currently on pause (or has stopped?).
For the record, we met on the boat that was taking us to the legendary Isle of Wight in England. This island saw the birth of a major festival in the 60s that hosted the greats of the time: Jimi Hendrix, Bob Dylan, The Doors, Miles Davis… And in 2009, on this mythical island, one of the first English didgeridoo festivals took place. Several of us crossed the Channel, including Othello Ravez, Zalem, Benj (president of “Le Rêve de l’Aborigène”), and Goayandi.
From left to right, Othello Ravez, Zalem, and Benjamin. I hope they won’t be mad at me for posting this (magnificent?!) souvenir photo.
Secret Vibes
Secret Vibes is an electro-acoustic band that was born in Paris in 1999. Their music blends different atmospheres, moving from trance to ambient, with rock and tribal colors, all accompanied by melodic or even lyrical parts. You will surely recognize in the video our national didgeridoo player: Adele Blanchin. However, don’t rely too much on this video, because even though Adele played for years with Secret Vibes, it is now Sylvain Bamdara who plays the didgeridoo in the band!
We’ve reached the end of this little (non-exhaustive) tour of Natural Trance, which intertwines its roots with those of our beloved wooden tube! While preparing this article, I realized that I only mentioned French bands. Not out of chauvinism, but simply because these were the ones I naturally noted. I have no doubt that there are other groups based on this style around the world, so if you know any that might interest the community, feel free to share them in the comments!
