Method vs. Madness

Kudu plugs the raw power back into synthesizers and it sounds quite futuristic

By Alex Barnes

Published in Trace #54, March 2005

Kudu’s music incorporates a diverse mix of genres, perhaps as varied as the origins of the word itself: the African Kudu is an antelope whose long horns are prized for their use as musical instruments; Kudu Records was launched in 1971 in the United States with the mission of bringing the groove back into jazz– in its brief history the label released several classic soul jazz LPs by Grover Washington Jr. among others; in Sri Lanka, Kudu is the Sinhalese word for heroin.

“Kudu fits in with a lot of people. That’s how I grew up,” recalls singer/ songwriter Sylvia G. before her recent performance at the Afro-Punk tribute to the Bad Brains at the Delancey on Manhattan’s Lower east Side. Sylvia is one third of the group Kudu who, along with drummer/ programmer Deantoni Parks, and keyboardist James Hurt are playing some of the best composed electro music this side of Afrika Bambataa.

Sylvia’s vocals possess the raw power and emotion reminiscent of classic punk rock crooners such as Siouxsie Sioux and Poly Styrene, coupled with a melodic range that easily matches the best of today’s jazz singers.

“I’m biracial, so I grew up around a lot of different types of influences. We don’t ever want to exclude or be a part of one clique. But at the same time we love the support we get because we are black. We know that because of our history we’re going to have some people we don’t even know who will be on our side. There’s a very comforting and communal feeling and we definitely appreciate that.”

Sylvia and Parks first met while studying at music school in Boston. The two formed an immediate bond based on their complimentary musical styles and diverse tastes. They quickly began making music together that charted new territory.

“We were signed after our first gig, but the record didn’t really do anything,” Sylvia recalls. After releasing their debut album in 2001 as a quartet, Sylvia and D retooled the group and started exploring the new directions where their music could go.

Sylvia’s lyrics testify on the cosmic possibilities and tragic pitfalls of life and love in the digital age. As she sings on Kudu’s self-released EP titled Boom Boom: Of all the modern technology/ When will they make what I really need?/ Are they gonna fabricate the part/ to nurse the hole in my lonely heart?

Each Kudu track is an intricately woven composition in which it is difficult to tell exactly where the live instrumentals end and the electronic sounds begin. If electronic music was once dependent on drum machines, turntables and samplers, Kudu ups the ante and plugs those digitized sounds back into the repertoire of the live musician.

“As a drummer I am very inspired by drum machines,” says Parks. “We’re from the south, so I listened to a lot of Miami Bass while I was growing up.”

Watching Deantoni do his thing on the drums is awe-inspiring– we have grown accustomed to hearing the intricate, rapid fire rhythms of various forms of electronic music coming from behind the DJ booth or out of a computer. To hear him handle these same rhythms with such dexterity is another experience altogether. Coupled with James’ soulful synth work and Sylvia’s vocals, Kudu point to a musical future dominated by neither musician nor machine, but rather by the harmonious interplay of both. For Kudu, this future is already upon us.