about (Jo)

Jo Zanders (1975) is a percussionist and instrument builder, 100% self-taught in both areas. In the attic of his grandfather’s house he found his first snaredrum, which he would go on to play in the traditional Limburg marksmen’s drum corps. The taste for playing on the move never left him. Together with Luc Mishalle he formed the group Fanfarrah for the first edition of Zinnekeparade (2000) and co-founded the Fanfakids youth drumming group in Brussels. Jo’s musical horizons were broadened by trips through Marocco, Congo, South Africa, Brazil and recently Benin. With every musical project he takes on, he is inspired by traditional music from home and from across the globe. The diverse rhythms and sounds flow together to create new polyphonies. When you add his self-built instruments to the mix, you get an original, individual and usually very unpolished sound.