Stéphane Galland And (The Mystery Of) KEM

In ancient Egypt, Kem refers to the color Black, like the black, fertile mud of the Nile, and uproots the often negative connotations associated with the colour. It is in that symbolic earth that (the Mystery of) KEM cultivates new rhythmical aspects whose schemes, “dances” and improvisations take roots in the Yin and Yang complementarity of even and uneven rhythmical pulses.

For this journey, Stephane Galland (Drums) is surrounded by daring and talented young musicians: Sylvain Debaisieux (sax), Bram De Looze (piano) and Federico Stocchi (bass). He invites one of the most prominent Carnatic Flute players in the world: Ravichandra Kulur (Ravi Shakar, Anoushka Shankar,…) from South India. The album also features Ibrahim Maalouf as a very special guest. Stephane Galland has recently been touring with Ibrahim Maalouf’s Red & Black Light project, and is celebrating 25 years of concerts and more than 20 albums with the band Aka Moon as well.

With (the Mystery of) KEM, he visits the rhythmical roots where all the musical traditions that he has rubbed together and integrated into his own language converge and explores a specific space that allows the integration of all these concepts without a priori or stylistic limitation. Welcome to the black and mysterious earth of KEM.