A singing mbalax diva, a sabar-playing percussion veteran, and a techno pioneer working his magic behind the scenes. Together, they shape the propulsive sound that defines Mark Ernestus’ Ndagga Rhythm Force. The band is renowned as an explosive, liberating, and almost trance-inducing live act. Come see for yourself at ALICE during the Copenhagen Jazz Festival 2025.
Over a minimalist beat, the polyrhythms of sabar drums take the lead. Spellbinding storytelling sung in Wolof weaves in and out of musical improvisations. Welcome to a concert with Mark Ernestus’ Ndagga Rhythm Force – a band that we can confidently say won’t let you stand still nor unaffected. It all began in 2011. Mark Ernestus, who had made a name for himself on the German electronic music scene with projects like Basic Channel, Rhythm & Sound, and Hard Wax, wanted to get to know the music genre known as mbalax. So he travelled to West Africa, the birthplace of this polyrhythmic fusion style – specifically...

A singing mbalax diva, a sabar-playing percussion veteran, and a techno pioneer working his magic behind the scenes. Together, they shape the propulsive sound that defines Mark Ernestus’ Ndagga Rhythm Force. The band is renowned as an explosive, liberating, and almost trance-inducing live act. Come see for yourself at ALICE during the Copenhagen Jazz Festival 2025.
Over a minimalist beat, the polyrhythms of sabar drums take the lead. Spellbinding storytelling sung in Wolof weaves in and out of musical improvisations. Welcome to a concert with Mark Ernestus’ Ndagga Rhythm Force – a band that we can confidently say won’t let you stand still nor unaffected. It all began in 2011. Mark Ernestus, who had made a name for himself on the German electronic music scene with projects like Basic Channel, Rhythm & Sound, and Hard Wax, wanted to get to know the music genre known as mbalax. So he travelled to West Africa, the birthplace of this polyrhythmic fusion style – specifically, to Senegal. He brought recordings from an impromptu session in Dakar back to Berlin, mixed them, and released them on the albums 800% Ndagga and Ndagga Versions. Since then, the project – previously known under the Mark Ernestus presents Jeri-Jeri-moniker – has grown into the explosive, liberating, and almost trance-inducing live act you can now experience at ALICE during the Copenhagen Jazz Festival 2025.

Recently, Mark Ernestus’ Ndagga Rhythm Force played three sold-out shows at the jazz venue Cafe OTO in London, as well as performances at Durchlüften Festival in Berlin, Shambala Festival in Northamptonshire, and Oslo Jazz Festival. And now is a particularly exciting time to follow the band. With the release of their new album Khadim this year, they’re heading in a new direction. The album features four expansive and flowing tracks that echo the minimal, dub-infused techno that producer Mark Ernestus became known for in the duo Rhythm & Sound. Look forward to experiencing mbalax diva Mbene Diatta Seck, percussion veteran Bada Seck, and even more of Dakar’s vibrant music scene in a concert evening you won’t soon forget.


Said about Mark Ernestus’ Ndagga Rhythm Force:

“Mark Ernestus (…) has thrown himself into deep waters and found gold. He went to Senegal and seems to have rediscovered ndagga, also known as mbalax. Not forgetting in its most roosty form, cut all the way into the bone, where sparkling explosions on sabar-drums are mixed up with djembe and the “speaking” tama-drum. This record is an epiphany.” Torben Holleufer in GAFFA (About the album ‘800% Ndagga’)

“Ernestus’s Senegalese projects — first as Jeri-Jeri and now with the slightly more streamlined Ndagga Rhythm Force — feel less like a techno master taking a passing fancy in African music and more of an attempt to grapple with this centuries-old music on its own terms” – Andy Beta i Pitchfork (About the album ‘Yermande’)...

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