Participants

Kumantukxuxpë

A Mixe group from southern Mexico that reinterprets traditional Ayuujk music drawing on electronic sounds and the oral tradition. Their work intertwines art, politics, and community.

© Image courtesy of Kumantukxuxpë

Participates in...

Kumantukxuxpë is an Ayuujk (Mixe) group from southern Mexico. In that area of the world, wind instruments, in addition to being an artistic expression, are a fundamental tool in the political and social life of Mixe communities. Through the exploration of electronic sound, Kumantukxuxpë reinterprets traditional Ayuujk music and incorporates elements of the oral tradition, along with graphic arts, to create a sound universe all their own. The name Kumantukxuxpë is taken from a figure in Mixe mythology that emerges from someone’s head and flies through the sky like a fireball. The group takes its inspiration from this figure to explore music beyond the realm of rationality.