Their Secret? Polyrhythms.

A rhythm is the reoccurrence of a beat, and a polyrhythm is the combination of two or more rhythms. But here is the clever bit: in a polyrhythm, one reoccurring rhythm should not derive from the other! For example, 3 evenly-spaced beats against 2, 4-against-3, and 5-against-3 are common polyrhythms, but 4-against-2 is not, because two divides four.

Assuming each individual drummer plays a simple reoccurring beat, a complex polyrhythmic pattern will emerge from the group as a whole. This is what our generator simulates online.

Polyrhythms are the generating principle behind many sub-Saharan African music styles. By constantly balancing the listener's attention between the individual beats and the ever-changing resulting pattern, polyrhythms offer a strong hypnotic character and can induce a trance after a prolonged period of listening.

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