LP plus DVD with full-length movie (125 minutes) of Balafon music of the
Lobi people, recorded in and around Gaoua, Burkina Faso, on a two-week
journey in June 2014, by Dirk Dresselhaus (alias
Schneider TM), Julian
Kamphausen and Arved Schultze. Packaged in a full-colour gatefold sleeve
with DVD tray, with numerous photos and an extensive interview with
Dresselhaus.
The Lobi are an ethnic group of about 180,000 people living in southern
Burkina Faso and bordering regions. The primary instrument of their
traditional music is the balafon, played solo or in a duet, usually
accompanied by percussionists. Lobi balafon music serves as a complex
language for communication with the audience but also with ancestors and
spirits. Different kinds of music are used for different purposes and
social atmospheres (birth, death, joy, hunting, war, etc.)
At its core, this music is hundreds of years old and knowledge of its
mastery is passed on from generation to generation, with different
styles emerging in different regions and outside influences picked up on
the way. The first well-known recordings of Lobi balafon music were made
in 1961 and published on the Ocora LP "Musiques du pays Lobi". While the
tunes heard there clearly show their ancient roots, the music on this
release is not isolated from current influences and carries traces of
modern African electronic pop music and Contemporary R&B that is
widespread in the region. This has led to a new minimalist,
poly-rhythmic and breakbeat-laden style prominent in Gaoua, to our
knowledge recorded here for the first time. Yet the pieces are the same
traditionals, played differently from generation to generation and from
day to day.
Musicians on the LP are Martin Kensiè (Da Toh Alain) with ensemble, and
Palé Goukoun. Their fathers – Kambiré Tiaporté and Palé Tioionté,
respectively – had been recorded in the 1990s for the Ocora CDs "Pays
Lobi, Xylophone de funérailles" and "Pays Lobi, Xylophones du Buur" that
served as the starting point for this journey. The DVD features a
full-length movie by Arved Schultze, documenting the trip through
various localities and villages, with numerous performances also
including other musicians.
