- artist:Fofoulah
- event type:WOMEX 19 Showcase
- date:24 Oct 2019
- time:00:45 - 01:30
- city/area:Tampere
- venue:Pakkahuone Stage, Tullikamari
- country:Finland
- event posted by:Piranha Arts
Links
Gambian sabar beats and Wolof rap, dystopian electronics and dub textures, in an earthy, urban, futurist yet deep-rooted soundworld; Fofoulah have developed a unique forward-looking sound the old-fashioned way, through playing, working and experimenting together to evoke, as they put it, “the spirit of morphing and connectivity.”
Formed in 2011, they released their first album for Glitterbeat Records in 2013, going on to tour extensively in Europe where the nightly spontaneous talking-drum improvisations from Kaw Secka began to set a new direction, manifesting in their powerful second album, Daega Rek. Building on propulsive percussion grooves from Secka and drummer Dave Smith (JuJu, Robert Plant’s Sensational Space Shifters), saxophonist and keyboardist Tom Challenger, guitarist Phil Stevenson, bassist John Brierley and vocalist Batch Gueye fuse shamanic chants, African trance and thick electro-jazzfunk into a mesmerising musical magma.
Tom Challenger - keyboards, samples, saxophone
Phil Stevenson - guitar
Kaw Secka - vocals, sabar, talking drum
Batch Gueye - vocals, sabar, dance
Johnny Brierley - bass
Dave Smith - drums
Fofoulah is supported by PRS Foundation’s International Showcase Fund, which is run by PRS Foundation in partnership with Department of International Trade (DIT), British Underground, Arts Council England, The Musicians’ Union (MU), PPL, Creative Scotland, Wales Arts International and Wales Arts International.