Negalê Jones

Negalê Jones was born in Rio de Janeiro, in 1972. He is a musician, sound artist, audiovisual producer, and educator.  His path to sound art began at age 16, when he learned to play the saxophone. At the age of 18, he swapped woodwinds for percussion and in 1996, he joined the successful Rio de Janeiro band, Os Afronautas, whose performances were known for their unusual sound, playing electronic music and percussion instruments on the DJs’ pickups. This encounter with electronic music opened Negalê’s eyes to the possibilities of experimenting with new sounds, extracted from objects beyond known musical instruments. Making the leap from sound to visuals came next, observing the movements of the shadows of the plants blowing in the wind. Since then, he has never stopped filming the dance of plants, or extracting their sounds, imperceptible without the aid of electronic circuits and amplifiers. Negalê is now best known for his research, which he began in 2016, involving natural rhythms, bio-electricity and ethnobotany.