Oakland’s Gamelan X bears the distinction of being a fifteen-member world music ensemble comprised (solely?) of European Americans. Part circus, part National Geographic Explorer, the Ethnomusicology-oriented Gamelan X mashes together sounds of Indonesia, the Balkans, India, and the Americas into a “theatrical dynamic hybrid world music orchestra for the 21st century.”
The troupe’s visually arresting performance also incorporates African dancing and aerial acrobatics, while their “Bali-Bass” grooves induce funktified head-bobbing among its ilk. The ensemble plays at Ashkenaz on Tuesday, May 1 and at the Nimby Warehouse on Saturday, May 5. Get a taste of the Gamelan X experience in this recent promo video. –Kathleen Richards
