SOBA

Formed by singer-guitarist Moussa Koita, harmonica player Vincent Bucher, and
drummer Émile Biayenda, SOBA revives the ancient links between Mandingo song and
Mississippi blues. The trio’s Afro-blues is both earthy and luminous, delving deep into the
recesses of the human soul.
To trace the roots of the blues, one must follow the Mississippi from Chicago, sail south to New
Orleans via Memphis, then cross the ocean — from the Caribbean to the shores of West Africa.
You can watch Martin Scorsese’s From Mali to the Mississippi: Feel Like Going Home, or explore
the historic recordings of American pioneer W. C. Handy and Malian master Ali Farka Touré.
But to truly understand the journeys that sustain the eternal youth of the blues, simply listen
to Fiman, the radiant debut album by the Franco-African trio SOBA.
“Soba” means “big house” in Dioula, the Mandinka language spoken mainly in Burkina Faso —
a home for friends and musical accomplices. Under this shared roof, Moussa Koita, Vincent
Bucher, and Émile Biayenda come together. The group has taken shape over the past six years,
its members first meeting through collaborations with other artists, before deciding to build a band
rooted in their shared passion for the blues.
For Fiman, Moussa Koita wrote the lyrics and melodies; Vincent Bucher brought his fluid yet
gritty harmonica sound — inspired by Sonny Boy Williamson and James Cotton — and adapted
it to the nuances of Mandingo music. Émile Biayenda, drawing from his Congolese percussion
heritage and the freedom of jazz, adds a rhythmic dimension that is both powerful and subtle.
Recorded live in the studio, the songs are as fresh as they are raw. They explore themes
of inequality, corruption, exile, and the challenges of mixed identities — through simple yet
striking arrangements. In this way, SOBA walks in the footsteps of African troubadours and
Mississippi bluesmen who, with humble means but transcendent expression, illuminated every
corner of human nature.