** SPECTRUM CULTURE REVIEW FOR JUGUYA **

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Baba Commandant 

& the Mandingo Band: Juguya

4 / 5

The names themselves are exotic: Ouagadougou, the Burkina Faso capital with a thriving underground music scene; the ngoni, a stringed instrument that is an ancestor of the banjo; “Ntijiguimorola,” a song as funky as its title. The Sublime Frequencies label releases music from faraway places with faraway names, and that faraway mood is a big part of the label’s draw. But one of the label’s most recent releases does not offer their usual field recordings with birds competing for sound space or vintage pop records recorded under compromised circumstances and pressed on bad vinyl. Juguya, the new album by Baba Commandant and the Mandingo Band, is a professional studio recording with strong production values that blend traditional Mandingue music and electric instruments for an intensely funky Afrobeat sound.

Commandant was born Sanou Mamadou in Bobo-Dioulasso, which, after the capital, is the second largest city in Burkina Faso. Mamadou’s stage name suits a commanding musical leader, and his booming voice dominates the album, his dreads and menacing look a compelling visual signature for the music. But is he a figurehead? In a promotional video for the funky title track “Juguya,” you see Mamadou performing the long-necked, six-string ngoni, which adds a delicate texture to the solid rhythm section. Yet the music is dominated by another sound, its grooves breaking out not just with voices but with electric guitar. Simon Chenet and Issouf Diabaté split guitar solo duties on the album’s eight tracks. Frenchman Chenet achieves an electric trance with his solos, while the Burkinabé Diabaté is the more metal of the two. Yes, metal. This smoldering blend of traditional and modern African music sounds a lot like Fela Kuti cranking it up to 11.

“Tilé” opens the album with a funky guitar line before horns and call-and response chants come in over the simmering groove. This is a more condensed Afrobeat than Fela’s, topping out at six minutes instead of Fela’s typical half-hour pulse. I can only imagine how these songs expand in concert, developing into deep trances and even more incantatory solos.

Diabaté pushes “Folon” along with sludgy metal riffs, while the amps get turned down for “Siguisso,” which is the album’s most traditional-sounding track. Still, Mamadou’s booming voice makes it an intense piece. “Wasso” breaks out into a blistering guitar solo from Chenet, its rhythms shifting from sheets of sound to sharp, echoing wails and dropping out into an even more heavily reverbed drum and bass section that comes off like Afrobeat dub.

Juguya is a well-paced groove album, its rhythms based in Afrobeat but taking survey of American rock and funk genres and laying electric waste to them. The music is made of raw materials carefully mixed for sonic effect, like the rippling guitar figure that comes and goes on “Wasso.” French producer Camille Louvel, a champion of hip-hop and other musicians in Burkina Faso, worked on this album’s rich, modern mix with Colin Thevenin and Sublime Frequencies co-founder Hisham Mayet. The production elevates their dense sound without making it slick. If you ever wondered what the music of Konono No. 1 and other Congotronics artists might sound without the lo-fi trappings, get this album.

Original link at: http://spectrumculture.com/…/baba-commandant-the-mandingo-…/

Songlines Magazine #107, April/May, 2015: 4 Star Review for Vodoun Gods on the Slave Coast dvd

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A 4 star review of Hisham Mayet's film Vodoun Gods on the Slave Coast on SUBLIME FREQUENCIES, written by Nigel Williamson in Songlines Magazine #107, April/May, 2015.

A quote:

"A visual field recording of Benin's voodoo culture"

Sublime Frequencies is distributed in the Benelux by Xango Music, and available at www.xangomusic.com 

Review in Pasatiempo: Santa Fe, New Mexico's Weekly Magazine VARIOUS ARTISTS "Folk Music of the Sahel 1: Niger" (Sublime Frequencies)

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Review in Pasatiempo: Santa Fe, New Mexico's Weekly Magazine
VARIOUS ARTISTS "Folk Music of the Sahel 1: Niger" 

(Sublime Frequencies)

With his world-music label Sublime Frequencies, Hisham Mayet has become something of a cross between Alan Lomax and Anthony Bourdain, traveling to war-torn landscapes to record popular and ritual music in Africa and the Middle East. In the process, he exposes the musicians he encounters to wider audiences in Europe and North America. For the debut of his ambitious new project — a planned six-volume series surveying the musical landscape of Niger’s Sahel region, famed for its mix of nomadic animist and Afro-Islamic cultures — Mayet has released a trove of field recordings he collected over the past decade. The album includes live recordings of griots, or praise singers, whose improvised, hand-percussion-backed performances blend storytelling, gossip, and commentary on local events. An astonishing cut from Koudede, a popular Tuareg guitarist killed last year in a car accident, showcases his haunting, Arabic-infused, bluesy songs that made him a local hero. Songs to back the courtship dances of the Wodaabe tribe as well as several call-and-response choruses, syncopated to oil-can drums, round out this collection.

- Casey Sanchez

DUSTY GROOVE and AQUARIUS RECORDS' REVIEWS FOR BABA COMMANDANT & THE MANDINGO BAND: JUGUYA

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DUSTY GROOVE REVIEW FOR
BABA COMMANDANT & THE MANDINGO BAND: JUGUYA

Link at: https://www.dustygroove.com/item/734939

One of the most solid albums we've ever heard on the Sublime Frequencies label – a studio recording by a group with a really great approach to their music – a style that mixes classic Afro Funk elements with rootsier elements on the instrumentation! The grooves are tight, but the sound has some nice earthy qualities at times – especially in Baba Commandment's use of ngoni, which rings out in a way that's both melodic and rhythmic at the same time – echoing an older mandingo tradition, but coming across with a lot of punch! Other instrumentation includes lots of percussion, fuzzy guitars, and balafon too – and most of the vocals have a call/response style, in which other singers call out alongside Baba's lead. Really great stuff – with titles that include "Tile", "Folon", "Wasso", "Juguya", "Siguisso", and "Ntijiguimorola". © 1996-2015, Dusty Groove, Inc.

AQUARIUS RECORDS' REVIEW FOR
BABA COMMANDANT & THE MANDINGO BAND: JUGUYA

Original links at: http://aquariusrecords.org/ #469
http://aquariusrecords.org/cat/newest.html

Well, there's Records Of The Week, and then there's Records Of The Week. This one was quite a nice surprise. And it's not like we don't already expect great things from the globetrotting subversives at the Sublime Frequencies label, they're always making great discoveries - we almost take 'em for granted now, we suppose. So with this album, by the wonderfully-named Baba Commandant and the Mandingo Band, which boast a striking cover design too, at first we were like, that's probably going to be cool, but then when we heard it, we were like, this is REALLY cool. We were expecting some kind of funky Afrobeat, and that's what it is, but much wilder than we ever imagined. Totally off the hook! 

http://aquariusrecords.org/images/dot.gifBaba Commandant (aka Mamadou Sanou) and his band are from the West African state of Burkina Faso (formerly the Upper Volta), and in a true, underground, DIY style, mix up the traditional, tribal Mandingo music of their region with a more modern, electric approach. Baba Commandant, born in 1973, who sings and plays the ngoni (an ancient, traditional lute), has been an active and original presence on the music scene in Burkina Faso for many years. He's been in various other bands, but as far as we know, this is the debut release from this group. It's a cool discovery on the part of Sublime Frequencies, but we bet Baba Commandant & Co. would have been heard sooner or later over here, just due to the tons of rhythmic energy radiating from their music. Yup, they've got plenty of power (there's guitars to go with the ngoni, horns too, and they don't hold back), making for some pretty hot jams. The wide ranging vocals of Baba and his backup singers are crucial too, and together the group really casts a hypnotic spell. Fans of Konono No.1, of all the cool desert guitar bands that Sublime Frequencies has brought us before (like the late, great Koudede, whom Baba Commandant has performed a live tribute to), of anything Afro-funky and maybe a bit eccentric in that vein, check this out, you will dig!!

http://aquariusrecords.org/images/dot.gifOn cd and lp, and as usual with Sublime Frequencies, the vinyl is a limited edition release.

MPEG Stream: "Waso" 
MPEG Stream: "Folon" 
MPEG Stream: "Ntijiguimorola" 
MPEG Stream: "Siguisso" 

Superflyrecords Interview and Profile of HISHAM MAYET: SUBLIME FREQUENCIES

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Original piece is here: 

http://blog.superflyrecords.com/storyboard/hisham-mayet-sublime-frequencies/

HISHAM MAYET: 

SUBLIME FREQUENCIES

 
 

Each month, we are focusing on a record label founded by an active digger. This month, Hisham Mayet, co-founder and co-owner of Sublime Frequencies, a label which, since 2003, has been documenting many obscure scenes, from eastern psyche pop to sahel post folk, from ancient to more futuristic.

When did you start digging records?Early 80’s, in my early teens.

What LPs did you buy at first?I was buying punk and post punk LPs. Some early hardcore singles, stuff on SST (Meat Puppets, Minutemen, Black Flag, UK shit, early Cure, Joy Division, New Order, Mekons, Gang of Four, Wire…).

Do you still listen to them?Not so much, but I still have most of it.

Do you have any particular style or favorite period?I don’t have a particular style that I collect. I’m into so many styles and genres. I collect Calypso, Free Jazz, ethnographic records, international sounds from around the globe from the mid-50s to the mid 70s, late 60’s psych from around the world and 60’s/70’s Italian/Euro soundtracks and library LPs… The list is endless. My collection is staggering in its diversity.

Why Sublime Frequencies ?I think it perfectly captures the mission of the label.

What was your first issue?

We released five titles at once. Three albums (‘Folk And Pop Sounds Of Sumatra Volume 1’, ‘Radio Java’, ‘Night Recordings From Bali’) and two DVDs (Nat Pwe: Burma’s Carnival Of Spirit Soul, by Alan & Richard Bishop, Jemaa El Fna: Morocco’s Rendez-vous Of The Dead ‎by myself).

Were you at the beginning of story, with Alan Bishop ? How and when did you meet him ?Yes, I approached Alan about the idea to start an ethnographic style label. When we discussed it further, we launched Sublime Frequencies officially in 2003. But, we had already been discussing and collecting for many years prior. I was a fanatical fan of Sun City Girls (Alan’s along with brother Richard and Charles Gocher’s unclassifiable musical universe for some 30 years)… We started communicating with some regularity in the mid-90’s.

What could be the editorial/esthetic line of the label ?We release things we’re passionate about. We all have our own particular aesthetic and the collective is diversified enough to make it interesting moving forward.

What could be your leitmotif for the label?I think our mission statement sums it up pretty well. « Sublime Frequencies is a collective of explorers dedicated to acquiring and exposing obscure sights and sounds from modern and traditional urban and rural frontiers via film and video, field recordings, radio and short wave transmissions, international folk and pop music, sound anomalies, and other forms of human and natural expression not documented sufficiently through all channels of academic research, the modern recording industry, media, or corporate foundations. »

How do you decide on the choice of reissues or new releases? Is it a team decision?Alan and I often discuss and have a final say on what is released. We both have very similar tastes so there really is a unified vision moving forward.

or is it more complex ?

If you look at our discography, you’ll see that we are well beyond « oriental/arabic music ». We have outside of SF released (Alan with Abduction/Myself with Outernational/Assophon) over 100 other releases outside of SF. So, we – me as Alan – are not confined to certain geographic regions.

How did you discover musicians like Group Doueh ? Rumors? Listening to a tape?All the rumors are true. I landed in a house in Dakhla un-announced and a cassette and boombox later, history was made.

Were you surprised by the success story of Dabke groover Omar Souleymane?Yes we were. So much so that we decided he was too big for us.

Are you still digging, buying vinyl, visiting record shops?Yep. Still digging. I’m writing from Trinidad now and just spent a day digging in a storage space. I was just in Paris and digging at Superfly. I know Paulo, Manu and Nico and have been shopping there over the years…

What is the best deal/business : to make reissue or to produce new records?Both!

Are they two different jobs?It can be. Re-issues sometimes deal with dead artists or defunct labels and their archives. Sometimes, there is a lot of missing informations when you are dealing with obscure material from a forgotten location. Lots of archeology in that process. Contemporary artists require a different approach and the variable can be much different. There is touring and new material and a host of logistics involved.

There are more and more reissues of old LPs. Do you think that the LP reissue market could ever reach saturation point?I think there is a saturation point, but it is always exciting to see what coming out via the mafia of reissue labels. The production values are amazing as well. I don’t know as a collector, it is an exciting time. But then again as a collector it is always exciting!

What are your next releases ?We are excited about the debut LP of Baba Commandant and the Mandingo Band and releasing Thai Pop Spectacular for the first time on vinyl.

What is the LP you dream of reissuing?An 8 LPs boxset of Ennio Morricone conducting a pygmy orchestra playing free jazz.

http://www.sublimefrequencies.com/

OUT NOW! Folk Music of the Sahel Volume 1: Niger VA S.F. - 090 2LP

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OUT NOW!

 Folk Music of the Sahel 

Volume 1: Niger VA 

S.F. - 090 2LP

To order from Forced Exposure and hear samples:

http://www.forcedexposure.com/Catalog/va-folk-music-of-the-sahel-vol-1-niger-2lp/SF.090LP.html

Folk Music of the Sahel: Niger consists of field recordings collected in the Republic of Niger during the course of six expeditions undertaken by Hisham Mayet between 2004 and 2014. This first volume in Sublime Frequencies' new Folk Music of the Sahel series comprises a subjective but spectacular overview of Hausa, Zarma, Fulani, Songhai and Tuareg music culled from Mayet's rich archives. On this lavish double album, Mayet methodically reveals the dazzling range and power of Nigerian music, from stream-of-consciousness griot performances that serve as a local news broadcast and gossip column to a rare example of ritual music from a private spirit-possession ceremony. Its four sides offer a tantalizing glimpse of this region's unmatched musical riches, including the awe-inspiring courtship dances of the Wodaabe men and a rare duet between the late, great Tuareg guitarist Koudede and the renowned molo master Ousenni. The gorgeous gatefold cover features a 25-page bound-in booklet with extensive and informative liner notes, as well as Mayet's emblematic photographs from towns and villages throughout the region. In addition to preserving an exciting variety of sacred and profane musical performances by known and unknown artists, these recordings capture the music of Niger at a difficult cultural crossroads in which ancient musical and oratory traditions are imperiled both by the demands of modern assimilation and by the reactionary forces that oppose it. As such, the intent of this album is not just to document the fantastic heterogeneity of Sahelian music, but also to bear witness to the changes and challenges faced by Niger's diverse ethnic groups during a decade marked by almost inconceivable political instability and technological upheaval. Coming from an area wracked by disease, food shortages and droughts, as well as by social turmoil, this music reflects the essentially improvisational character of Sahelian life as well as its unfathomable cultural wellsprings. From exuberant a cappella drone chants to the riveting instrumental minimalism of goje possession music, the performances on this album represent a poignant cry to the universe by musicians who hold every note as sacred as the gift of enduring in this exceptionally severe region of the African continent. Housed in one of Sublime Frequencies' most stunning packages, which pays homage to the great European ethno labels of yore, this monumental one-time pressing, limited edition double LP beautifully inaugurates SF's comprehensive musical survey of the Sahel

NEW RELEASE OUT NOW! VODOUN GODS ON THE SLAVE COAST BY HISHAM MAYET S.F. 089DVD

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VODOUN GODS 

ON THE SLAVE COAST

Directed by Hisham Mayet

.

DVD SF089

Order from Forced Exposure: 

http://www.forcedexposure.com/Catalog/SF.089DVD.html

Vodoun Gods on the Slave Coast explores the ceremonial splendor of sacred dance and ritual in Benin, the birthplace and cradle of Vodoun. Formerly known as Dahomey, Benin was also called the Slave Coast due to its importance in the trans-Atlantic slave trade. Today, the worship and supplication of Vodoun gods remains integral to everyday life in Benin. Shot in January 2011 during the country's rich annual Vodoun celebrations, this film offers an impressionistic glimpse of the major ceremonies and delirious musical performances associated with this ancient religion. Guided by the otherworldly rhythms and colors of Vodoun pageantry, Hisham Mayet presents an intimate view of metaphysical dramas enacted in magisterial costumes: The cult of Sakpata, fearsome god of pestilence, disfigurement and healing. The Egoun-goun, ancestral visitors from the realm of the dead, who bring blessings and warnings for the living. And the Zangbeto nightwatchmen, ambulatory haystacks who serve as Vodoun's secret police. Traveling in a malarial fever dream from the clutter and bustle of village markets to the palace of Ahosu Agoli-Agbo Dedjalagni, the King of Abomey, Mayet provides an unforgettable portrait of secular and sacred life in Benin. Digipack with 12-page booklet of photographs from various Vodoun ceremonies throughout Benin; 48 minutes/color; all-region DVD, NTSC format. Limited one-time edition of 1,000 copies.

FORTHCOMING S.F. RELEASES: OMAR KHORSHID AND HIS GROUP LIVE IN AUSTRALIA 1981 LP / FOLK MUSIC OF THE SAHEL VOL. 1: NIGER 2LP

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OMAR KHORSHID AND HIS GROUP
LIVE IN AUSTRALIA 1981

To Pre-Order and listen to samples: http://www.forcedexposure.com/Catalog/SF.091LP.html

LISTEN to OMAR KHORSHID AND HIS GROUP's 'Sidi Mansour (Tunisian Folklore)', taken from the forthcoming SUBLIME FREQUENCIES LP, Live in Australia 1981 http://tinyurl.com/qfmbyzd

"This is the first live concert recording ever issued of legendary Egyptian guitarist Omar Khorshid and his group. It features tracks recorded during his 1981 tour of Australia, including live versions of songs that grace his various LPs recorded for Lebanese and Egyptian labels during the 1970s with one phenomenal tune, "Al Rabieh," being exclusive here as never before issued in any form."

"Limited edition LP release in a full-color gatefold jacket with exquisite photos from Mohamed Amine's personal archive and informative liner notes by Hany Zaki."

FOLK MUSIC OF THE SAHEL VOL. 1: NIGER 2LP

PREVIEW "Bismillhia (Tuareg/Zarma)" from the forthcoming SUBLIME FREQUENCIES 2LP set, Folk Music of the Sahel Vol. 1: Niger

LISTEN: https://soundcloud.com/forcedexposurepublicity/bismillhia-tuaregzarma-taken-from-folk-music-of-the-sahel-vol-1-niger-sublime-frequencies 

"Folk Music of the Sahel: Niger consists of field recordings collected in the Republic of Niger during the course of six expeditions undertaken by Hisham Mayet between 2004 and 2014. This first volume in Sublime Frequencies' new Folk Music of the Sahel series comprises a subjective but spectacular overview of Hausa, Zarma, Fulani, Songhai and Tuareg music culled from Mayet's rich archives."

"The gorgeous gatefold cover features a 25-page bound-in booklet with extensive and informative liner notes, as well as Mayet's emblematic photographs from towns and villages throughout the region."

TO PRE-ORDER AND HEAR SMAPLES: http://www.forcedexposure.com/Catalog/SF.090LP.html