Mark Ernestus' Ndagga Rhythm Force (MEL)

For the first time in Australia, Mark Ernestus’ Ndagga Rhythm Force lands at The Night Cat on Thursday 28 May for a rare and immersive live show.

A true meeting of worlds, Mark Ernestus’ Ndagga Rhythm Force brings together the deep pulse of Berlin dub-techno and the ecstatic, polyrhythmic force of Senegalese Sabar music. A foundational figure in electronic music, Ernestus - co-founder of Basic Channel and Rhythm & Sound, and the mind behind the legendary Hard Wax - has spent decades shaping sound system culture. With Ndagga Rhythm Force, that lineage expands outward, reconnecting with the rhythmic origins that underpin it all.

Formed through Ernestus’ long-standing collaboration with master percussionists and vocalists from Dakar, the group channels the raw energy of Mbalax into a hypnotic, forward-facing live experience. Driving Sabar drums, call-and-response vocals, and dubbed-out bass lines lock into trance-inducing cycles of sound that is both minimal and explosive.

Their latest work, Khadim, pushes further into psychedelic territory, stretching rhythm and space into something both of the past and totally futuristic. On stage, it translates into powerful and communal physical intensity.

Rounding out the evening, we're joined by two of Australia’s most exploratory rhythmic minds, Rohan Rebeiro and Maria Moles, for an exclusive one-off percussion collaboration featuring Sydney rapper SOLSA and warped with audio-bending interventions by CS + Kreme’s Sam Karmel. Together, they carve out a space where live percussion, voice and abstraction collide in real time.

Also joining the night is DJ General Feelings (aka Lucreccia Quintanilla), bringing her deep rooted connection to Naarm’s sound system culture. Recognised as the force behind Australia’s first woman-led sound system, Quintanilla’s practice centres collectivity, diasporic exchange and the physical power of low-end frequencies. Her sets draw on this lineage, weaving percussive club forms, experimental rhythms and bass pressure into transportive, body-focused journeys shaped as much by community as by sound itself.

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Thursday 28th May 2026 - Naarm / Melbourne @ The Night Cat

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