Stephen Kent

About Stephen Kent

Born in Devon, Great Britain, and raised in Uganda, Stephen Kent travelled to Australia for the first time in 1981 as musical director of a circus project a la ''Cirque de Soleil''. On excursions to the northern Territories he got in contact with the tribes living there and so encountered the Didgeridoo. Inspired by the idea to incorporate its sound into parts of his work for the circus, Kent learned the basic techniques of playing the didge, but soon his fascination went past his initial intentions: The thunder tube became his instrument and he tapped deeper and deeper into its potential. It is common knowledge among western and australian players that the didge posesses or channels an enormous (meta)physical power; for the aboriginees it is a fact that its vibrating sound constitutes a direct link to the DreamWorld, forming a bridge between past, coming and alternative realities. The transcendental discurse is a natural companion of this instrument, which is propably a reason for its growing popularity through the 1980s and 90s (comparable with the rise of the sitar throughout the sixties, when everybody was getting a fashinably 'heightened awareness'). Stephen Kent has always strived to stay true to the original context of his instrument, which is why a lot of his (and his bands') repertoire distincly remind one of archaic, tribal rituals. Since beginning of the 90s, Kent lives and works in San Francisco, where was also a key figure in the inception and rise of City Of Tribes.