Anta Pukite – accordion (Latvia)
Vija Moore – balafon (Latvia)

Vija and Anta met in 2025, when a shared curiosity about each other’s instruments quickly grew into a creative friendship. The balafon, as both a percussive and melodic instrument, creates repetitive patterns that intertwine harmony and melody with groove. The accordion, on the other hand, can simultaneously produce basslines, chords, and melodies across a wide range of registers, using sustain and register in ways the balafon cannot. It is remarkable how naturally the two instruments complement each other, filling the gaps in one another’s sound and expanding each instrument’s expressive possibilities.

The duo co-creates original compositions and new arrangements of traditional music through contemporary improvisation and extended techniques, interweaving melodies inspired by West African and Latvian musical traditions. Both musicians come from diverse musical backgrounds, shaping a distinctive approach to composing, arranging, and performing together.

Their repertoire primarily consists of original arrangements of traditional music from West Africa and Latvia, alongside improvisations and contemporary works created specifically for this rare and compelling instrumental combination.