“What is CAVE MUSIC?”

I was deep in central Java & was astonished as a local musician told me about cave music. He said that musicians pound on stalactites to make musical sounds! “WOW! This I’ve got to hear.” We drove hours through lush volcanic mountains & verdant jungles on brutally rough roads until we got to the caves “GUWO TABUHAN”. It was a very small village whose main attraction was these cool caves. It was hot outside, we were in a tropical jungle area but inside the lovely caves it was nice and cool. As my eyes got adjusted I saw a couple of ladders propped up against these huge stalactites. The musicians appeared and two of them climbed the ladders with large rubber mallets…this extraordinary music was about to begin.

Here’s a primitive – raw & extraordinary audio adventure. Four village men pound stalactites in the cave to create an amazing melodic, rhythmic background… a drummer then adds a brisk tribal beat. Add village women singing the local dialect and you’ve got an unforgettable experience. Be sure to check out the short audio samples on the Sonic Safari Music site (just click on the red dots when you get to the “Cave Music” cd page.) http://sonicsafarimusic.com/music/cavemusic/

It’s always an amazing journey to got to one of these places. I almost have to pinch myself to make sure it is really happening…and not a dream!