Tanya Tagaq

Inuit throat singing was traditionally a game for two women. Standing with mouths touching, they would trade phrases until one of them ran out of breath or laughed. Banned for many years by Christian priests – don’t get me started there has been a recent surge of interest in the art, not least because of the amazing vocalist Tanya Tagaq.

When Tagaq took the stage at Dalston’s Cafe Oto last Monday she stood behind the mic so meekly that I didn’t think it could be her but within seconds I was mesmerised and stayed that way for the entire performance – a single 45 minute piece accompanied by percussion and laptop, Tadaq’s voice moving from guttural primal throat sounds to high pure tones and back again. Her technique is astonishing and her performance whole-body, near-possessed, creating a self-contained musical world. Its easy to see why artists like the Bjork and the Kronos Quartet (see video of their work together) are lining up to work with her. Amazing.