Have you ever enjoyed pure xylophone music? Most probably not since it is unlikely to be heard on the numerous FM stations scattered all over the country.

Nevertheless, a young Ghanaian xylophonist, S.K. Kakraba Lobi has released an eleven track album that recalls the skills of composers and musicians from Northern Ghana.

Titled ?Gandayina?, the album is a medley of tunes that reveal the richness and diversity of African traditional music while exposing the capabilities of the xylophone.

Tracks on the album, which are fused with light African drumming, atentenben flutes and bells are highly therapeutic and trend to explode into a pentatonic atmosphere thus creating a real Northern Ghanaian celebration.

?Darikpong?, the first song is a fusion of xylophone and the atentenben flute which appears dominant. Subtle drums accompany this track, which is the first song played when a man from the Birifor tribe (Upper Regions) dies.

The title ?Gandayina? opens with a combination of xylophones, drums and bells. It is a praise song for a highly respected man whose death would affect a lot of people in diverse ways.

?Dela? is in honour of Dela Botri, the atenteben dynamo and artistic director of Hewale Sounds. It comprises a solo atenteben rendition that dramatically shifts from key to key.

The son of the world renowned xylophonist Kakraba Lobi, S.K. Kakraba Lobi undertook traditional training in xylophone before moving to Accra a couple of years ago.

He is currently a xylophone instructor at the International Centre for African Music and Dance, University of Ghana, Legon and a member of Hewale Sounds.

Also known as ?Gyil,? the xylophone is an instrument made of fourteen wooden bars that have been suspended over gourds.

It is an important instrument among the Lobi, Sisala and Dagara people of the Upper regions of Ghana, who employ them for both funerals and festivals.

?Gandanyina? was recorded at the Pidgin Music studios in Accra and mixed at the Duncan Studios in the United States of America.