The new promo video for One Laptop Per Child features my friend and sometimes percussionist Dante Bucci‘s original composition for hang drum:
Earlier today I briefly quizzed Dante on how this came to be, and he said:
The firm they hired to do the animation somehow came across my YouTube video and they wanted to use the song. It happened to be one of the songs I recorded but didn’t make it to the EP, so i had a good quality recording for them to use.
The hang drum (pronounced “hung”) is a ufo-shaped, hollow percussion instrument that’s not unlike an inverted steel drum. Each hang has a root note in the center and a scale surrounding it, as marked by tiny divets around the circumference of the instrument. Each year a limited number of hangs are made, in specific keys and scales.
At this point Dante is one of the international experts on the Hang. He’s taken the instrument to places other people hadn’t previously conceived – playing multiple drums at once, and tracking the hang against drums and bass on his new EP.
This tune – “Fanfare” – is my current favorite.
You can catch a set on the hang from Dante most Wednesdays (though not tomorrow) at Lyndzapalooza’s open mic at Intermezzo Bar & Café @ 3131 Walnut Street. You can also hear him playing percussion and singing background vocals at Mutlu’s shows in the Philly area.
Holy crap…………. I’ve been doing (err… did) percussion for years and never came across this instrument. I want.
They are not easy to snag, as the production is extremely limited, but if you seriously want one you should chat with Dante, as he tends to keep tabs on them across the nation.
Great idea! I would be happy to post a link or even a banner for your cause on my site.