WOMAD

Issa Bagayogo

From Mali

Biography by Andy Morgan, July 2002:The west African nation of Mali is going through a curious boom time right now. Not only are new roads and buildings sprouting in the capital Bamako, thanks to a flash flood of European funding and infrastructure grants relating to the hosting of the last African Nations football championships, but everyone from Damon Albarn to Jackson Browne seems to have decided that Mali is the place to be and be seen in. Surfing this wave of new found confidence is a generation of Malian musicians who are attempting to write the next few chapters, or maybe even a whole new sequel, not only to Malian music but to African music in general. Issa Bagayogo is a native of southern Mali’s Wassolou region and his music owes a lot to the emblematic instrument of that area, the kamel ngoni, a six-stringed version of the kora. The point is that Bagayogo has been busy mixing the ngoni, as well as other traditional Malian instruments like the balaphon and his very own deep silky voice with a defiantly modern electronic approach to beat building and music making. This feverish experimentation has been taking place in the studios of Mali K7 in Bamako, under the inspired technical direction of Frenchman Yves Wernert, one of the unsung heroes of modern Malian music. The Wernert–Bagayogo partnership has produced two classic albums, ‘Sya’ and ‘Timbuktu’, both of which shine bright with class and inspiration by the mega watt. Bagoyogo’s songs root around both old and new themes such as the old Manding empire, emigration, pollution and drug abuse but his music is fearlessly modern, beautifully crafted and irresistibly funky.2002 Short biography:Currently causing a stir amongst those in the know, velvet-voiced singer/songwriter Issa Bagayogo plays the traditional 6-string lute called kamélé n' goni', and seamlessly blends the Wassulu traditions of southwestern Mali with funky basslines, electronics and strong downtempo beats.Biography by Andy Morgan, June 2002:The west African nation of Mali is going through a curious boom time right now. Not only are new roads and buildings sprouting in the capital Bamako, thanks to a flash flood of European funding and infrastructure grants relating to the hosting of the last African Nations football championships, but everyone from Damon Albarn to Jackson Browne seems to have decided that Mali is the place to be and be seen in. Surfing this wave of new found confidence is a generation of Malian musicians who are attempting to write the next few chapters, or maybe even a whole new sequel, not only to Malian music but to African music in general. Issa Bagayogo is a native of southern Mali’s Wassolou region and his music owes a lot to the emblematic instrument of that area, the kamel ngoni, a six stringed version of the kora. The point is that Bagayogo has been busy mixing the ngoni, as well as other traditional Malian instruments like the balaphon and his very own deep silky voice with a defiantly modern electronic approach to beat building and music making. This feverish experimentation has been taking place in the studios of Mali K7 in Bamako, under the inspired technical direction of Frenchman Yves Wernert, one of the unsung heroes of modern Malian music. The Wernert – Bagayogo partnership has produced too classic albums, ‘Sya’ and ‘Timbuktu’, both of which shine bright with class and inspiration by the mega watt. Bagoyogo’s songs root around both old and new themes such as the old Manding empire, emigration, pollution and drug abuse but his music is fearlessly modern, beautifully crafted and irresistibly funky.Info from Six Degrees Records, June 2002:www.sixdegreesrecords.comIssa Bagayogo - 'Timbuktu'Malian singer/songwriter Issa Bagayogo is keenly aware of the rich tradition of his homeland; in addition to his velvety-smooth vocals, he plays the traditional 6-string lute called kamélé n' goni'.But Bagayogo is also a thoroughly modern fellow centered in the genre the locals call Afro-electro. On Timbuktu, Bagayogo combines his roots-based, acoustic textures with the sounds of dub and electronic dance music. The result is one of the most distinctive and personal blends of traditional West African music and modern electronica you will find, in or out of Africa. Starting in local studios in Mali, Bagayogo developed a way of incorporating funky basslines, electronics and strong downtempo beats into the centuries-old Wassulu tradition of his region of southwestern Mali, the same area Oumo Sangaré hails from. Issa's songs revolve around traditional themes like community, marriage and death; but the album's opening track, "Sisi," is about fighting drug abuse among the youth of Mali. The song begins with the sounds of the n'goni,and includes the balafon(a wooden xylophone) and traditional drums. But it also features soulful horns and a small female chorus, and the bass and drums create a ritualistic, almost trance-like repetition that locks in the dance groove and melds it to the traditional Malian sounds. The most convincing aspect of Timbuktu is how beautifully the rhythms fit, both in a Western dance club and in the traditional sounds of griot music. "Baro," with its bluesy guitar break, catchy chorus and largely acoustic but still completely contemporary sound, is a good example. Issa Bagayogo's music reflects a true collaboration between Issa's Malian roots and the modern production style of Yves Wernert. Which is not to say he can't do the Afro-pop thing if he wants to. "Tounga," for example, has the now classic Afro-pop sound: stinging electric guitar, steady rock tempo and fat pulsing bass. Tellingly, Bagayogo sings in this song about going abroad, and fighting to maintain artistic and cultural integrity. The English translation of one line says it all: "Should you go abroad, you must be strong-minded." There are many possible meeting points between Malian and modern dance music, and Issa Bagayogo seems intent on visiting them all. "Dambalou," a song of praise for the warriors who built the great Manding Empire, is heavily processed, with a relentless dance rhythm, a tasty acoustic guitar solo, and, in a glance at yet another musical stepchild, the sounds of Brazilian samba music. At the other end of the spectrum is the album's title track "Timbuktu" which has a timeless, almost bluesy sound, at times Arabic-inflected. Bagayogo clearly draws from the same deep musical well as Ali Farka Toure, Habib Koite, Boubacar Traore and other great Malian artists. Bagayogo's lyrics praise Timbuktu as a multi-ethnic city, where Muslims and Christians, and people from Mali's many ethnic groups, live together on good terms. While some of the songs on Timbuktu practically scream for an enterprising DJ to come along and remix them, that's not the case with "Gnele," an uptempo bit of electronica that already sounds like a dance mix. "Nogo" ("Pollution") has some of the album's deepest, trippiest production, all setting off the sounds of traditional lutes and Issa Bagayogo's apparently effortless singing. And "Dama," the album's closing track, is a pulsating dance party, complete with samples, trancey guitar, n'goniand percussion - both acoustic and electronic. It echoes one of Mali's ancient musical traditions: the lively drum ensembles that mark funerals. "Dama," it turns out, is one of two songs about death on the album. The other is "Saye mogo bana," a heartfelt fusion of live and sequenced percussion, acoustic and electric strings, modern production techniques and an age-old theme - "death washes away your flesh, but not your name." Aga in, there's nothing maudlin or sentimental here, just some great easygoing funk from Bagayogo and his band. First introduced to American audiences through his Afro-delic track "Diarabi," which kicked off the African Travels CD on Six Degrees earlier this year, Issa Bagayogo has produced two full-length records. Timbuktu is his second album, although it is the first one to be available in the States. His debut album, Sya,peaked in the top 5 on the European World music radio charts and has been featured on numerous compilations already. BBC radio personality and tastemaker Charlie Gillet said of Sya, "The more I listen, the more I believe this may come to be seen as a classic milestone for African music in general and Malian music in particular." Look for Six Degrees' reissue of Syaworldwide in 2002. Timbuktu