WHO WE ARE...

An accomplished musician whose career has wound its way from jazz to experimental by way of heavy metal, Lionel discovered the ukulele during a 2006 trip to Hawaii and immediately fell under its spell.

Upon returning home to France, he was impressed by the possibilities of his little 4-string. He came to call it his "creativity booster" - precisely what he needed to break free from 25 years of guitarist clichés. But Lionel couldn’t be satisfied with traditional ways of playing the instrument. He decided to take the ukulele in other directions.

Lionel met Antoine in a tabla class and asked him to participate in a power trio: bass, drums, and uke. Intrigued by this unlikely combination, Antoine accepted and the first U.K.E was born. Antoine, originally a rock drummer, took a growing interest in other percussion instruments. Today he plays the tabla, udu and other noise making objects - all, of course, while continuing to bang out crazy jungle rhythms on his cajon.

The juxtaposition of solid rhythms with new ukulele sounds is what makes U.K.E so original. Eventually the trio became a duo and started adding electronic parts and real-time loops to their repertoire.

The band has played in a variety of concerts and festivals around the world: USA, Australia, Canada and various European countries.

U.K.E a unique musical experience: Ukulele Nu Sound!