Formed during the early 1990s, Kenge Kenge (the name refers to their instrumentation) is a modern exponent of Kenya's Luo tradition, a major rhythmic tributary of the benga guitar band craze. It utilizes hand-made acoustic instruments, notably a delirious-sounding, single-stringed fiddle called an orutu, which has many cousins throughout the world, plus drums, percussion, woodwinds, horns and call-and-response vocals. Kenge Kenge's sound is compulsively danceable -- hypnotic, earthy, and exhilarating -- and despite its surface simplicity, highly sophisticated. At times, the music recalls the trance-laden buzz of Congotronics (especially the first album), the ardent experimentation of American composer/inventor Harry Partch, the ecstatic incantations of Colombia’s Totó La Momposina, and the hip-switching, rumble-gutted punch of Brazil's Grupo Uakti. Initially led by Amdo Jawaya and Samuel Nyariwo, the ensemble began by playing back-up for the Catering Levy Trust Choir. But some time after present leader George Achieng signed on, it took on additional members, became more self-sufficient and gradually began incorporating selected contemporary grooves. This is not to say that the group has trespassed beyond its original folkloric frame of reference. It has merely moved a bit closer to what generations yet unborn will proudly claim as their cultural heritage.