- West African folk music meets London electronics on a stellar and eye-opening EP.
- Falle Nioke broaches subjects from the mundane to mythical in the seven languages that he speaks. His delivery is distinct, sometimes otherworldly, whether in Coniagui (the native language of his tribe) or Susu, French and English. While the sound of West African instruments instils a warm physicality in Badiare, his new collaboration with Ghost Culture, effervescent synths cocoon his voice, as Ghost Culture tailors each moment to the alternately energetic and serene ups-and-downs of Nioke's delivery.
“Leywole," sung in Coniagui, is about a woman in the street fiercely rejecting the approaches of a man, her fiery spirit propelled by driving sub-bass. On "Jaarama," Nioke's raw vocal brushes up against dreamy synth pads with a particularly gorgeous outro, while "Ayekouma" connects continents, marrying the joy and static rhythm of techno with more traditional sounds from West Africa. Nioke spent most of his 20s travelling in Africa as a musician, singing with a troupe and soaking up folkloric rhythms from Guinea, Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast and beyond. The gongoma, a metallic thumb piano, plucks over bubbling synths, while the three-stringed bolon quivers alongside handclaps and hi-hats. Compared to the ambient touch of last years Marasi, the dancier Badiare is a more tactile experience, made in the sharper designs of UK club music.
Nioke's newest work carries a certain weight when you learn about his history. He faced remarkable obstacles in Guinea prior to his career in the UK, becoming a musician against the wishes of his parents and finding it difficult to make a living, especially with West African authorities who made it hard to travel across borders. In Guinea, musicians have long had roles as nomadic, oral historians. With Badiare and its electronic orientation, Nioke takes a hybridized approach to this tradition, testifying not only to his musical adventurousness but also electronic music's capability for storytelling in all its forms, whatever its port of departure.
Tracklist01. Leywole
02. Spiritually
03. Jaarama
04. Ayekouma