Mali, landlocked country, is probably best known in the West for the prodigious output of music. Here are some of our archives of music from Mali.
"Balani Show" is a Malian phenomena with two decades of history. Surprisingly, there is little about it, even in Western academic circles. In Mali, it's so common that its existence and story are taken for granted. I recently connected with Diaki Kone a.k.a. DJ Diaki, an animator and radio DJ.…
In 1989, Aghaly and his brother Mousa left their home. A small village called Ewit, it sits just outside of Timbouctou, not far from where the barge shelters cars across the river. Their family are forgerons and griots. I'm uncertain of the difference between the two, or if there is…
Takamba music is played on traditional guitar (tamashek: teheredent), with a remarkable distinctive rhythm tapped out on a calabash. It's always accompanied by a beautiful ghostly dance. I've written about the music previously and released a few records. The origin of the music remains somewhat shrouded in mystery. Suffice to…
Luka Prod - New Track Luka Productions, known around here for his Fasokan LP and renowned in Mali for a prolific output of contemporary Malian Hip Hop is back in the studio on a new project. Bringing in a group of musicians, ngoni, guitar, percussion, synth, and computer, it's very…
The new music video for Ami Yerewolo's "A San Nièfai" takes Malian Hip Hop into a science fiction future. In the video, a trio of post apocalyptic survivors wander through the Malian countryside, stumbling on the destroyed and smoking ruin of the capital. Meanwhile, they are pursued by a vehicular…
In 2015, I had the opportunity to work on a bit of a dream project entitled Uchronia, an exhibition and recording lying somewhere between conceptual art and experimental ethnography. The process was a series of collaborative "fake" ethnographies (or ethnographic forgeries) - a very flagrant self conscious expression in a…