Rabiu Ayandokun
& His Yoruba Bata Ensemble

Rabiu Ayandokun is an electrifying master drummer leading an ensemble performing traditional Yoruba bata drumming, song, and spectacular masquerade dance.

Biography & background
Rabiu was born, raised and continues to reside in Erin-Osun, near Oshogbo in Nigeria. Erin-Osun is famous for its bata compounds and attracts visitors both from around Nigeria and abroad to witness its vibrant musical heritage.

The Yoruba bata ensemble is one of the most complex and powerful cultural systems of drumming in Nigeria. The bata dates back to the 14th century, starting its global journey out of Oyo in Nigeria during the Atlantic slave trade. The bata drum is believed to have the capacity to unleash the metaphysical power of the Yoruba deities, the Orisa. As one of the most compelling voices of Orisa in the new millennium, and like a great evangelist, the drum continues its centuries-long journey, calling people into a rhythmic congregation wherever it goes. It is the power of this message and its relevance to contemporary life, which has secured a global presence of the bata in the 21st century.

Rabiu's ensemble manages to display the spiritual power of the bata with a sensational and captivating secular entertainment value.

The Ayan prefix of Rabiu's name, Ayandokun, marks him as an inherited drummer, descending from a lineage tracing back to the deified ancestor of the drums, Ayan Agalu at least 700 years ago. Ayandokun means "Ayan is as big as the ocean", and Rabiu has lived true to his name, travelling the world as a guardian of the bata and the Yoruba masquerade tradition.

Performing history
Rabiu is an all-round master drummer and is accomplished in an array of Yoruba traditions and drumming styles. He has emerged over the past two decades as the most revered bata drummer in Nigeria, and perhaps the most famous bata drummer in the world. At home in Nigeria, he is known for his expertise in every genre from bata to juju, apala, fuji, highlife, Afrofunk, pop and jazz. Between 1987 and 2002, Rabiu has toured internationally performing in dozens of high-profile festivals and independent tours of the USA, Germany, India, Austria, Italy, Scandinavia, Poland, Hungary, Holland and France. Apart from being steeped in Yoruba tradition as a ritual drummer, and touring with his masqueraders, Rabiu is a flexible and experimental virtuoso, leading his eclectic group Okuta Percussion (1989-1996), which fused Yoruba, Indian, Indonesian and Australian Aboriginal traditions.

Rabiu and his wife Saki have lead the musical arm of a cultural exchange program for the Manchester Commonwealth Games Festival. This was co-ordinated by the British Council and took place between University of Ibadan and Manchester from August 2001, working with around 3,000 school children and culminating in performances in Manchester in June 2002.

In May 2002, Rabiu has been participating in workshops, performances and Orisa ceremonies in New Mexico, New York and Boston. He is currently negotiating a major US tour with his bata ensemble.

Rabiu Ayandokun tours with a scaled-down ensemble of 6-8 people [4 or 5 drummers with 2 or 3 masqueraders]. Rabiu's wife, Saki, is a born masquerader, and leads vocally with her virtuosity in oriki, a deep tradition of Yoruba praise song.

Discography