Bassekou Kouyate

Wer im Umkreis Murnau bis jetzt ´Bison´ verpasst hat, der wohnt noch nicht lange hier oder geht bei schönem Wetter nicht raus. Die fünf sympathischen Jungs spielen bei vielen Gelegenheiten auf, sei es als Straßenmusiker oder auf der Bühne. Aus Gründen mussten wir das für 2020  geplante Konzert in der Westtorhalle verschieben. Grund genug sie mit unserer Technik mal ordentlich in Szene zu setzten.

Bison live @ westtor 2020

BASSEKOU KOUYATE & Ngoni ba – I speak Fula

press reactions:
“This is a cracker.” **** Mojo
“A contender for African album of the year.” ***** Uncut

After his award winning album ‚Segu Blue’ the ngoni wizard from Mali is back with a new offering: ‚I speak fula’. The album captures the incredible live energy of Bassekou Kouyate & Ngoni ba and is the next step in the career of one of Malis most exciting and innovative musicians.
The back of this album shows Bassekou Kouyate & Ngoni ba standing on the street with the legendary train station ofBamako behind them. In the 80s a young Bassekou Kouyate played a concert there together with members of the famous Rail Band. During the show Bassekou suddenly stood up and walked up to the front of the stage. For the first time a ngoni player strapped his instrument over his shoulder like an electric guitar and was playing a solo standing up. The audience was stunned. Traditionalists even started a debate after the concert about whether this young man was allowed to chan

Bassekou Kouyate - Musow

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

I Speak Fula

Musow (For Our Women)

Bassekou Kouyate & Ngoni Ba - Muscow

Bayern 2 Zündfunk - WUMA launch Europe Interview

Im Dezember 2017 wäre Heinrich Böll 100 Jahre alt geworden. Immer noch öffnet der Namensgeber der Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung Türen. Ob auf dem Kirchentag, auf den Buchmessen in Leipzig oder Frankfurt, auf grünen Parteitagen: Irgendwas von Heinrich Böll hat jede, jeder gelesen: Das Brot der frühen Jahre, die Ansichten eines Clowns, Katharina Blum und die Fähmel-Männer. Manche bedauern, dass Böll kaum mehr gelesen, in manchen Lehrplänen gegen Wolfgang Borchert ausgespielt wird und wie sehr uns eine Stimme wie die des Kölner Literaturpreisträgers fehlt. Wer war Heinrich Böll? Julia Riedhammer hat sich auf die Suche begeben.

Böll.Fokus

100 Jahre Heinrich Böll

This is an African Dance song by music producer RMBO featuring Lesotho Artist Morena Leraba

RMBO - Mozabalazo ft Morena Leraba

After spending 3 weeks in Ethiopia djing in Addis Ababa, I knew I had to make a mix that sounded like what I was hearing in the clubs and playing in them too. I've also never done a 100% African mix so here goes nothing but Pan-African jams that would make Haile Selassie proud :D

Mixes by Tiger

Live From Bole Road

Here's a mix of some of the sweetest songs from Nigeria and the UK to introduce our latest party format called "Afro Centric". Enjoy!

Silly Walks Presents Afro Centric On Kitschkrieg FM

Brand new track from the up and coming Zanzibarian singjay "Rascoco" - Produced and co-written by ATWR sound system's Erik Celander.

Rascoco Uprising - Zanzi Stone Town

art: Ison Mistari
studio: Stone Town Records
producer: Dj walid

ISON_MISTARI_NANI KAMA NGOSH (Prod: Dj_Walid)

Babes Wodumo - Umngan'wami (Lua Preta Remix)

Bassekou Kouyate & Ngoni ba return with a new single, new album and live dates

Mali's ngoni ace returns. After his celebrated debut album Segu Blue and the Grammy nominated follow up I speak fula, hundreds of concerts all over the globe, an appearance headlining the AfroCubism project and, just a few months ago, stunning appearances at the latest Africa Express events performing with Sir Paul McCartney, Damon Albarn and many others, Bassekou Kouyate is back with his new album.

Jama ko means 'a big gathering of people'.  It is the first song to be released from the forthcoming album of the same title. It is a call for unity, peace and tolerance in a time of crisis: no matter who you are, let us come together and enjoy life, and celebrate the true spirit of Mali.

“Jama ko, c’est pour tout le monde”, says Bassekou Kouyate, the celebrated ngoni player, explaining the title of his third album, “There are over 90% Muslims in Mali, but our form of Islam here has nothing to do with a radical form of Sharia: that is not our culture. We have been singing praise songs for the Prophet for hundreds of years. If the Islamists stop people music making they will rip the heart out of Mali.”

The recording of Jama ko took place in March 2012 in Mali's capital Bamako. It was recorded with an entirely new line-up including Bassekou's two sons Madou and Moustafa Kouyate, ngoni ace Abou Sissoko and a number of other young talented musicians from Bamako. It became political by accident. In the afternoon of the first day in the studio the military overthrew the president Amadou Toumani Toure (ATT).  It was a shock for Bassekou as the former president was a great supporter of his music. Somewhere between power cuts, fuel shortages and the uncertainty of daily curfews the recording went on. Meanwhile the situation in the north of Mali was getting worse and worse by the day. In the studio a musical answer started taking shape: Instead of keeping quiet Bassekou plugged in his wah wah pedal, cranked up his amp and let loose: Ne me fatigue pas: don't wear me out. You can hear the heartbeat of Malian music pulsing in this music.

Kasse Mady Diabate is featured on the Latin-flavoured Sinaly singing about Sinaly Diarra, a Bamana king famous for resisting forced Islamisation in the 19th century. Kele Magni is a duet between Amy Sacko and Khaira Arby from Timbuktu, calling for peace in Mali. Zoumana Tereta praises the cotton farmers of Mali in Mali Koori with a voice that takes you back into the time of the great Bambara warriors. Jama ko also features an incredible duet between Bassekou and Taj Mahal (vocals / electric guitar) and ends with the touching song Moustafa by Bassekou’s son Moustafa dedicated to his parents thanking them for all they have done for him.

Howard Bilerman (Arcade Fire, Hotel 2 Tango) recorded the album in Mali and ended up mixing and co-producing most of it back home in Montreal. Andrew Barr (Barr Brothers) and Max Weissenfeldt (Poets of Rhythm) added drums. Mocky Salole (Feist, Jamie Lidell) contributed to the production and played organ and drums.

Jama ko digital single out now 19 November 2012
Jama ko album out in the UK on 28 January 2013
Live in the UK: 26 January 2013 - Barbican, London + 27 January - Glasgow Royal Concert Hall as part of Celtic Connections (Sahara Soul triple bill with Tamikrest and Sidi Touré)


Watch preview video:
http://youtu.be/lfU4rxQL4Dw


Jama Ko
SoundCloud: http://soundcloud.com/outhererecords/bassekou-kouyate-ngoni-ba-jama
YouTube: http://youtu.be/lfU4rxQL4Dw

Bassekou Kouyate online:
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/bassekoukouyate
Twitter: @Bassekou http://twitter.com/Bassekou
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/bassekoukouyate

Out Here Records online:
http://www.outhere.de
http://www.outhere.de/jamako

Bassekou Kouyate & Ngoni Ba - Jama ko (Single - Song for Peace)

It is now over 20 years of exploring urban Africa. Countless trips to the buzzing megacities of Africa from Lagos, to Accra, Nairobi, Dakar or Jozi. But we also visited remote places such as Asmara the capital of Eritrea or Lusaka in Zambia. Back then we soon realized that the unknown side of Africa was not its exotic traditions, but the booming urban scenes on the continent. Now in 2022 with styles like Afrobeats, Gqom, Amapiano or Trap Africa is finally starting to reach the international markets.

Back then we asked ourselves: How come not a single kwaitostar from South Africa had an album out internationally. How come the international music market ignored the most popular music styles Africa was dancing to: Kwaito, Bongoflava, Hiplife, Afrohouse, Coupe Decaller … you name it. There was work to do. Work that took us to meet Jo’burgs kwaito cats, dive into the Bongoflava world of Dar es Salaam, meet people like a young 2face, D'Banj, Pee Square and others in Lagos or check out the Hiplife scene in Accra. We celebrated Urban Africa with concerts and tourprojects featuring the likes of Mzekezeke, Bongomuffin, D’Banj, Pee Froiss, Daara J, African China & many many others. Putting out compilations that introduced urban scenes such as Bongo Flava, Afrohouse, Senerap & Naija hiphop to an audience outside of Europe. The new urban music world was growing in Africa – but the rest of the world was just waking up to this new sound. We ended up sitting in a stretch limo end of the 90ies driving down Champs d’Elysee with Magic System. They had just dropped their major hit premier Gaou. In London to the Stratford Rex had 2Face take the stage playing his first show outside of Nigeria. 

Then the journey of Outhere records took a new direction in 2006. It all happend in a Pizza restaurant in Bamako. Bassekou Kouyate gave a relaxed early evening gig together with the likes of Kassemady, Lassana Diabate and other stars of Malian music – together with Westafrican music scholar Lucy Duran it was decided on the spot to record the international debutalbum of Bamako‘s king of the ngoni. The result was ‚Segu Blue‘ an album that became one of the world music successes of 2007. With three albums under his belt Bassekou Kouyate and his band have played everywhere from Mexico to Japan, to New York Central Park, Carnegie hall or London's Royal festival hall. The band has collected numerous awards, a Grammy nomination and has appeared 2 times on BBC‘s Jools Holland.

Today Outhere records works with artists from all over Africa celebrating all kinds of styles. There is the young and inclredible Mokoomba from Zimbabwe, who have fused the different local musicgenres of their country into a new urban style. It's an infectious blend of zamrock, congolese rumba guitars mixed with the raw spirituality of rural Zim traditions. From Accra, Ghana comes our other incredible liveact: Santrofi, named after a colourful bird. This collective is made up of some of the greatest young musicians from Ghana blending raw guitarband Highlife with contemporary afrobeats and trap styles. Never miss any of their shows.  And next coming up the hard hitting community vibes from BCUC .... 

here's a list of artists we've worked with:
Abass Abass / A.B. Crentsil / AK Yeboah / Afande Sele / African China / Afrikanboy / Afroganic / Alif / Awadi / AY / Azadus / Baay Sooley / Bantu / Bassekou Kouyate / Batman Samini / Bebe Cool / Bongo Maffin / Brown Dash / B.O.P. / C.B.V. / Carlou D /  Da Brains / Da Fugitivz / Danfo Drivers / Daniel Haaksmann / Daz Nundaz / Dede Mabiaku / Djoloff /Dully Sykes / Dread Maxim / D’banj / Dur Dur Band Int. / East African Bashment Crew / Faze / Gidigidi MajiMaji / Godessa / Gokh-Bi System / H2O / JJC & 419 Squad / Juma Nature / Kassemady Diabate / King Ayisoba / Kontihene / KwabenaKwabena / Kwaku-T / K’Naan / K-Sal / Lady JayDee / Leo Muntu / Les Escrocs / Lobi Traore / Lord Ekomy Ndong / Madera Limpia / Mafikizolo / Magic System / Mandoza / Mapaputsi / Modenine / Mokoomba / Mr. Ebbo / Mwana FA / Mzekezeke / Necessary Noize /  Ofori Amponsah / Oskido / Pee Froiss / Peter Miles / Pidgen Allstars / Positive Black Soul / Professor Jay / Rebellion the Recaller / Reggie Rockstone / Revolution / Rokia Traoré / Santrofi / Sbu / Schlachthof Bronx /  Sheriff Ghale Tata Pound / Teba Shumba / Terry Bonchaka / Tiken Jah Fakoly / Tumi / Tumi and the Volume /  V.I.P / WA BMG 44 / Weird MC / X Plastaz / Xuman / Zola / Zoumana Tereta / Zubz / 340ml / 994 Crew /

Bassekou Kouyate - Musow

OuthereRecords

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