Various Artists / Folk Music Of The Sahel Vol. 1: Niger
Album: Folk Music Of The Sahel Vol. 1: Niger   Collection:General
Artist:Various Artists   Added:Oct 2014
Label:Sublime Frequencies  

A-File Activity
Add Date: 2014-10-24 Pull Date: 2014-12-26 Charts: Reggae/World
Week Ending: Dec 14 Nov 23 Nov 16 Nov 9 Nov 2 Oct 26
Airplays: 1 1 2 2 1 1

Recent Airplay
1. Dec 29, 2014: Clean Copper Radio
The Orchestra Of The Sultan Of Zinder
4. Nov 15, 2014: BravoMarco Variety Show
Young Girl Night Village Dance
2. Dec 13, 2014: Music Casserole
Bismillhia
5. Nov 13, 2014: The Sunset Life
Bismillhia
3. Nov 22, 2014: BravoMarco Variety Show
Bismillhia
6. Nov 08, 2014: Music Casserole
Tuareg Chant

Album Review
Lester G.
Reviewed 2014-10-10
RIYL: Tinariwen, Son House, Human Skab
Incredible, hypnotic field recordings from the Sahel region in Niger. Everything is played on handmade (if any) instruments, in rural settings, often communal gatherings, with a particular focus on animistic rituals of the Hausa. It’s a great opportunity to pull our heads out of our "modern" asses and appreciate how people anywhere will make music out of anything, regardless of scarcity. Recorded over the past decade, the region has been completely screwed by the civil war in Mali, with extreme shari’a law imposing a ban on music, so needless to say this is a priceless treasure.

Artist field contains the corresponding ethnic group, but don’t read back plainly as “[song] by [artist]”
1. (4:22) Two gourmi (three-stringed calabash lute) and talking drum, a raspy-throated song praising the beauty of Fulani women.
2. (4:22) Somber, dissonant chanting, apparently a welcome song/dance of the Fulani people.
3. (2:33) Court music of the Hausa sultan—braying kakaki trumpets, ram’s horn flutes, drums, ecstatic ululations. (Fun fact: kakaki trumpets can reach up to 9ft in length!)
4. (3:07) Hausa possession ceremony, a one-stringed goje fiddle, thumping percussion, chanting.
5. *(1:47) Entrancing talking-drums and khalam (ancestor of the banjo), an instrumental welcome to the village.
6. (3:00) Two gourmi and a singer praising God and a hard work ethic.
7. (1:06) Drums and vocals accompany young male dancers in a ceremonial flirtation with the village girls.
8. (5:16) A griot (drifter poet-bards, oral historians) sings a praise song with a more percussive khalam.
9. *(3:51) Deep, raw desert blues, electric guitar and proto-banjo display the common ancestry between John Lee Hooker and Tinariwen.
10. *(4:08) Holy shit. A female lead singer accompanies herself with a drum while a male chorus provides a backing drone. Utterly trance-inducing.
11. (2:02) Another possession ceremony. The goje performs the dialogue between medium and spirit (no vocals here, just fiddling).
12. (2:24) Young girls clapping, laughing and singing in a circle, sure beats “ring around the rosie” to these ears.
13. *(4:27) A two-stringed lute accompanies an impassioned praise singer.
14. (1:49) Second half of track 2
15. (2:28) Two gourmi players praising the local chief for his financial generosity.
16. (3:18) More Hausa praise music for local authorities, spirits, and instruments.
17. (6:59) Electric wedding music, energetic vocals muffled by crowd noise and shoddy mic quality.
18. *(2:57) Amazing electrified folk music, scorching guitar with pounding drums and a group of female singers.

Track Listing
 ArtistTrack Name
1. (Hausa) Al Fulani
2. (Fulani) Wodaabe Chant
3. (Hausa) The Orchestra Of The Sultan Of Zinder
4. (Hausa/Zarma) Music For A Hauka Ceremony
5. (Songhai) Music From The Village Of Boubon
6. (Hausa) The Craftsman
7. (Zarma/Songhai) Zigda
8. (Hausa) Komsa Griot
9. (Tuareg/Zarma) Bismillhia
10. (Tuareg) Tuareg Chant
11. (Hausa) Bori Possession Music
12. (Hausa) Young Girl Night Village Dance
13. (Zarma) Hauka Praise Song
14. (Fulani) Wodaabe Chant
15. (Hausa) Gourmi Praise Song For The Sarki
16. (Hausa) Komsa Praise Songs
17. (Fulani) Denke Denke (Fulani)
18. (Hausa) Tempte Du Desert Group - Yarra