To put it simply, Earthtribe Percussion’s mission is to find and produce the highest quality West African instruments in the world. Period. This is not an easy task. Tough local and global economies, the falling value of the dollar, outrageous gas prices, and even instability and corruption in Africa work against me to accomplish this goal.  Furthermore the drum market is flooding with cheap tourist drums from Indonesia, Middle East, USA, and even Africa. More and more, it is becoming very difficult for the inexperienced customer to distinguish between real Mandinka drums and garbage imitations and replicas.  An ocean of misinformation exists that feeds this industry, from music stores to the customer. But, it is my mission and more so my passion to overcome these obstacles.  I will not give up. If it weren’t for this drive and integrity I would not be where I am today. It has taken many years and hard work to develop techniques in building drums and to find sources for the highest end possible. Even studying Mande culture and music is a task in and of itself. But all the efforts are paying off. I am currently at my all time best at building/assembling drums. I have finally found people to work with that are raising the bar and pushing to set new standards in excellence in carving my shells. As we all work to study with masters in our drumming, so also do I work with master carvers and artists that are responsive and eager to achieve the same goal I have. And so I bring this to you, the customer! I do not wish to simply sell you a drum. I want to connect you to your instrument. I want to become a friend and colleage in the pursuit of these amazing instruments that have insprired me. I want you to connect with the history, culture, and awe at the efforts given to even produce a drum.  Finally, I want my customers to build a relationship with me that will last many years. I stand by one motto, to make every drum as though it were my own................

                                                                                                                    Michael Goude