Rian Treanor and Ocen James announce collaborative album on Nyege Nyege Tapes

Rian Treanor has teamed up with acholi fiddle player Ocen James for a new collaborative album, called ‘Saccades’.

Out on 20th January through Nyege Nyege Tapes, the album’s roots lie in an artist residency that Treanor undertook at Nyege Nyege’s villa studio in Kampala in 2018 around that year’s edition of Nyege Nyege Festival. During that residency, he spent time working with Ocen James, with the pair developing an improvisation-heavy collaborative process.

In order to develop the project, Treanor set up a digital process to go alongside James’ fiddle-playing. Using physical modelling techniques, the former created an instrument that explored the sounds of the a’dungu, an arched harp. With Ocen playing his rigi rigi, a single-string violin, they got to work in the studio on the 10-track album.

Ahead of its release early next year, you can listen to lead cut ‘Bunga Bule’ below.

Revisit DJ Mag’s 2020 feature with Rian Treanor, published around the release of his last solo album, ‘File Under UK Metaplasm’, here.