Music like o k h o

Okho is a composition for three percussionists by Iannis Xenakis completed in 1989.

In the months before the creation of Okho, Xenakis spent some time with other percussionists such as Jean-Pierre Drouet, who first presented the djembe and the zarb in his studio. During this time, Xenakis and other percussionists worked on the different techniques used for playing some African instruments. The title Okho, unlike many other titles from Xenakis's output, is a pure combination of phonemes and has no meaning. The piece was a commission from the Festival d'automne à Paris and the Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations, with the support of the Government of France on the occasion of the celebration of the bicentenary of the French Revolution. Since the score calls for three djembes and an African bass drum, some scholars have highlighted the possible ironic reference to French colonialism, even though no such references were made explicit in the press.