Kaouding Cissoko-Senegal-Mauritanie

Fofoulah – Fofoulah
Release date: September 19th, 2014

www.glitterbeat.com
www.fofoulah.com

“Fofoulah's music is a new voice in the endless Atlantic musical dialogue - what marks them out is the blurring of distinction between West African, jazz and popular music. Their interplay between polyrhythmic Sabar drumming, riffs and free-flowing improvisation can transcend categories…”
++Justin Adams (JuJu, Robert Plant, producer Tinariwen)

The London-based quintet Fofoulah (meaning “it's there” in Wolof) was formed in 2011 and features Tom Challenger (Red Snapper) on saxophone and keyboards, Phil Stevenson (Iness Mezel) on guitar, Johnny Brierley (Outhouse Ruhabi) on bass, Dave Smith (Robert Plant’s Sensational Space Shifters) on drums, and Kaw Secka (Irok) on Sabar drums.

With the rhythms of the Sabar drums - a traditional form of Wolof drumming from Gambia and Senegal – at its heart, Fofoulah’s music has evolved into an inspired cosmopolitan mélange that also incorporates elements of electronic music, dub, improvisation and afro-rock. Like the complex city they live in, their music is shaped and lifted by diverse sound-worlds and cultures.

“Some of us grew up within this culture, some of us studied the rhythms but most importantly we all realized and embraced the undeniable power and energy of these (sabar) drums”
Johnny Brierley (bass)

“This deeply traditional music connects people with sound, rhythm and movement in a very unique and special way and is a constant inspiration in everything we do.” 
Dave Smith (drums)

Having performed mainly in the creative hubs of east London and Bristol, in 2013 Fofoulah released the ‘Bene Bop EP’, a collaboration with Senegalese singer Biram Seck. Later that year the band entered the famed Real World Studios near Bath to begin work on their radiant debut album ‘FOFOULAH.’

Produced by drummer Dave Smith (Robert Plant, JuJu) ‘FOFOULAH’ is a previously unvisited crossroads where Sabar rhythms meet dub basslines and sci-fi synths; liquid melodies and Wolof rap entangle with trance-like dance grooves; and raw guitars, horns and samples blend with west and north African song forms.

In the album’s liner notes, bass player Johnny Brierley describes the creative journey that led to the making the album:
“The rhythms and traditions of the drums were essential starting points for our compositions and acted as the building blocks for all the other instruments…our music has developed and evolved with each members musical background and influences being heard within the band…'Fofoulah', our first album, is a snapshot of the band at this moment in time and the result of a constantly developing sound”
In keeping with the band’s expansive approach, the album also features an incredible roster of guest voices: Senegalese singer and Bristol resident Batch Gueye, UK singer / producer sensation Ghostpoet (courtesy of 'Play it Again Sam'), Algerian/Parisian singer Iness Mezel and the acclaimed Gambian born, Fulani musician Juldeh Camara (JuJu, Robert Plant).

Fofoulah is not merely a cross-cultural project. They are a dynamic band born naturally out of personal friendships and varied backgrounds, the nerve net of contemporary London and the post-global interconnectedness we all experience daily. The band is propulsive, innovative, celebratory and always leaning forward. They are a thrilling extension of the deeply rooted Sabar rhythms upon which their music revolves.

“Lets join together, leave conflict and work together. There is peace in community”
--No Troubles (Kelinte)

“If you don’t appreciate the truth of who you are and what the world brings to you, you will struggle. As we work we offer ourselves to the world.”
--The Clean Up (Rahas)

Fofoulah are: Tom Challenger - saxophone/keyboards, Phil Stevenson – guitar, Johnny Brierley – bass, Dave Smith - drums/sabar, Kaw Secka - sabar/tama


Fofoulah - Make Good (Soumala)

Reel Vibes!!! Reel Roots Reggae!!! Mek Guh dung a Yaad!!! Reel Summa Vibes!!!

Mystical

07. Orchestra Baobab - Werente Serigne (1989)

Cheikh Lo - Degg Gui

Ma Koya

BASSEKOU KOUYATE & Ngoni ba – Segu Blue (release date: March 2007)

“First there was African tribal music which evolved into slave songs which became the blues which gave birth to the funk. Bassekou and his band tell the whole of this journey in one chapter. The most delicious mix of the finest musical ingredients make a stew that warms the heart and shakes the hips. Trust me, it tastes good!”
Fatboy Slim (Mali, 2006)
“… a fantastic example of how music can lift your mind and soul at the same time … the perfect proof of how inspirational African music can be, how it can touch so many people on so many levels.”
Damon Albarn (after hearing Bassekou & Ngoni ba in Mali, 2006)
“The album Segu Blue is a MUST for anyone seeking new musical adventures.”
Dee Dee Bridgewater
“… a genius, a living proof that the blues comes from the region of Segu.”
Taj Mahal
“I was inspired watching music being performed in it’s truest form”
Scratch – The Roots
“There’s a delicious sound to this record, whose warm, cohesive textures l

Bassekou Kouyate - Jonkoloni

"Mokole" is the first song to be released from Mokoomba's upcoming album "Luyando".  The composition is based on traditional rituals and lore celebrating and honouring the waterfall (the smoke that thunders / Victoria Falls) as a source of life for all who inhabit the region. The song is particularly poignant now at a time of drought across Zimbabwe but also as an invocation to the younger generation to take care of the environment, because we are fragile and vulnerable and dependent on it for survival. “The waterfall is a life giver. It brings us water to drink; it makes our river full so we can fish. It is a source of life. Let us rejoice for there is water and hope we will always get plenty.”
Mokole is written in a mix of Luvale and in Ndebele a language which is the most common for people living in the region of Victoria Falls, which is a cross-roads between numerous ethnic groups as well as a border between Zimbabwe and Zambia. Ndebele is the dominant language in the region but it is traversed by other languages and dialects like Luvale, Chewa, Nambya and Tonga.

pre-order "Luyando" digitally, on CD or on Vinyl: 

iTunes: http://apple.co/2ji9jZM
Bandcamp: http://bit.ly/2k3ORQf
Amazon: http://amzn.to/2jsLphK

Luyando

Mokoomba - Mokole

Five Great Guitars - African Blues Tour
Live recording 2011

Special guest: Habib Koité
Zoumana Diarra: guitar, kora, balafon, n'goni
Mousse Pathe M'Baye: percussion
Dramane Diarra: percussion

Sound: Neil Denholm

Five Great Guitars - Wassiye

Il s’agit d’une captation de répétition.

Titati - Rokia Traoré et le choeur Passerelle

Get the album here: http://glitterbeat.com/glitterbeat_store/

Recorded at Studio Mali in Bamako, in the autumn of 2012, Samba is joined by
his regular band members Djimé Sissoko (n’goni ) and Madou Sanogo (congas,
djembe) and guests such as the legendary, master of the soku (a one-stringed
violin) Zoumana Tereta and the fast-rising Malian neo-traditional singer Aminata
Wassidje Traore. Additionally, Hugo Race (The Bad Seeds, Dirtmusic, Fatalists)
contributes an array of subtle atmospherics on guitar and keyboards.

Samba Toure - Be Ki Don

Glitterbeat is committed to global sounds and artists that don’t necessarily rubber-stamp our pre-conceptions of what regional music sounds like.  We live in a world of ever increasing intersections and the global musical conversation does not operate according to straight, predictable, and easily delineated rules. It is a conversation that is being reinvented and revolutionized each day.

Fofoulah - Make Good (Soumala)

Glitterbeat Records

Recent comments

Stacey-in-Texas

Stacey-in-Texas

RB

John Protox

Related tracks