GOMA

Enter the mind of Goma

Many people may know Goma from his band, Goma & the Jungle Rhythm Section. A highly danceable, tribal, frantic group, held together by master didgeridooist Goma, at the helm. To see that group play live is to enter a wild, tribal dance party. The vibe is incredible, anyone with an open mind can’t help but get swept in.

Keeping with the notion of an open mind, brings us to tonight’s performance. To hear a solo, acoustic didgeridoo performance takes a bit of patience, but once you let yourself go, the performance will take you places you didn’t know existed. The thirty minute set didn’t have a formal flow or anything that could be classified as a song or track. The whole thing simply existed as an experience to enter the mind of a madman. The set ebbed and flowed as Goma saw fit. Through his mastery of circular breathing he didn’t let up the entire time. It was a non-stop, trance inducing hum of the didgeridoo the whole set through. Often times he would mix in a bit of scatting or beat-boxing. Sometimes he would speed up his hum, other times he would bring the speed right down to a slow constant bass tone. He entered without saying a word and ended just as abruptly.

A set like this could only really work in a handful of places at Fuji Rock and the Pyramid Garden stage was the perfect choice for such a set. The stage is a good 25 minute walk from the festival entrance and is surrounded by tents, hammocks and a campfire. On the actual stage itself there are a vast number of handmade candles lighting the scene. The whole thing had a very zen and meditative quality to it. Virtually everyone in the small crowd watching was sitting on the ground in front of the stage and was silent the entire time.

When his set first started I was a bit skeptical how it would work, but when it ended I barely realized where the time went. With the stage surroundings and the trance-like mood of the set, it was very much a transformation from the normal hustle and bustle of Fuji Rock to a world of Goma.