BANG THE DRUM
The Cajon’s roots can be traced back to West and Central African slaves throughout South America in the late 18th century. Essentially a wooden box, the player sits on the Cajon with the thinner surface at the front (the head) allowing for a range of tones when manipulated with the fingers and palms. It’s common in traditional African and South American music, but has also been a fixture in Latin and Spanish music for some time. Today it’s still a mainstay in traditional latin and afro styles but also folk, pop, indie, world, jazz and more thanks to its rootsy tones, portability and ease of use when a full drum kit isn’t suited.
CAJON AUSSIE CAJON
From the ‘29’ series, this Supremo Select model looks super hip at first glance. Dark timbered with a colourful haze to it, this ‘Dark Iris’ model definitely has a modern edge. Tough rubber feet mean it won’t slip or make extra noise from sitting directly on the floor. Playing open handed in the middle of this Cajon produces a deep, resonant thud whilst finger tips and slaps towards the top of the instrument have a higher, shorter slap to them. Adding an adjustable snare wire to the inside, this drum is capable of delivering the pseudo drum kit vibe on the go. Kick drum type sounds in the middle of the head and funky snare sounds round the edge give you the ability to play kit type grooves. Furthermore with 3 sizes available you can move through sizes for comfort and varying tonal ranges if you want to investigate a little more.
MONEY OR THE BOX?
The Supremo Select ‘Dark Iris’ sounds good and is well priced. Along with product quality, they also seem to value employee satisfaction and upstanding business practices. Environmental awareness is employed with processes in place that utilise plantation farmed wood, reusable products and local recycling (plus they support of several charities). A musical and usable Cajon, the Dark Iris is instantly accessible for those that just want to bash away but also a tasty instrument for the seasoned percussionist or kit player that wants to open up some extra sounds and styles.