A musical meeting between Mali and DenmarkThe name Faratuben is a combination of the words Farafin (black) and Toubabu (white), reflecting the musical meeting between the outstanding musicians from Mali and Denmark.Instead of playing traditional kora music, as we know from Toumani Diabaté and Salif Keita, the group represents the music of the Bobo.Bobo music is made for dancing and drinking and is traditionally played on a balafon (West African marimba) and accompanied by talking drums in the villages. In the early 2000s, the music was electrified and brought to Bamako, where it continues to be played in clubs in a raw and unpolished manner.It was the legendary guitarist and composer Francois Pakouene Koita who transformed the music into modern instruments and brought it to the capital. Here, he taught his sons, Dieudonne (bassist, guitarist, and composer) and Ernest (lead guitar), to play their traditional music with a modern twist. Together with their older brother, award-winning balafon player Kassim Koita, they arranged and recorded for Ben Zabo. He was the very first Bobo artist to ever be played on national radio and his debut album was released on the prestigious world music label Glitterbeat.The musicians toured Europe extensively but went their separate ways after returning home. In 2015, Dieudonne, the youngest brother, made some new friends from Denmark. They met by chance at the first edition of the Bamako Jazz Festival, where there was instant chemistry.In 2016, they formed Faratuben and released their first two singles, which quickly gained attention in Mali. However, the great distance prevented the group from maintaining a continuous workflow and making a full album. Instead, the Danish part of the band decided to leave Denmark and move permanently to the West African capital. Here, they have refined their personal sound, which draws on traditional Bobo but is modernized with synths and a club feel. ...
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A musical meeting between Mali and DenmarkThe name Faratuben is a combination of the words Farafin (black) and Toubabu (white), reflecting the musical meeting between the outstanding musicians from Mali and Denmark.Instead of playing traditional kora music, as we know from Toumani Diabaté and Salif Keita, the group represents the music of the Bobo.Bobo music is made for dancing and drinking and is traditionally played on a balafon (West African marimba) and accompanied by talking drums in the villages. In the early 2000s, the music was electrified and brought to Bamako, where it continues to be played in clubs in a raw and unpolished manner.It was the legendary guitarist and composer Francois Pakouene Koita who transformed the music into modern instruments and brought it to the capital. Here, he taught his sons, Dieudonne (bassist, guitarist, and composer) and Ernest (lead guitar), to play their traditional music with a modern twist. Together with their older brother, award-winning balafon player Kassim Koita, they arranged and recorded for Ben Zabo. He was the very first Bobo artist to ever be played on national radio and his debut album was released on the prestigious world music label Glitterbeat.The musicians toured Europe extensively but went their separate ways after returning home. In 2015, Dieudonne, the youngest brother, made some new friends from Denmark. They met by chance at the first edition of the Bamako Jazz Festival, where there was instant chemistry.In 2016, they formed Faratuben and released their first two singles, which quickly gained attention in Mali. However, the great distance prevented the group from maintaining a continuous workflow and making a full album. Instead, the Danish part of the band decided to leave Denmark and move permanently to the West African capital. Here, they have refined their personal sound, which draws on traditional Bobo but is modernized with synths and a club feel.
Musikalsk møde mellem Mali og DanmarkNavnet Faratuben er en blanding af ordene Farafin (sort) og Toubabu (hvid), hvilket afspejler det musikalske møde mellem fremragende musikere fra Mali og Danmark.I stedet for at spille den traditionelle kora-musik, som vi kender fra Toumani Diabaté og Salif Keita, repræsenterer gruppen bobo-musikken.Bobo-musik er skabt til at danse og drikke, og bliver traditionelt spillet på en balafon (vestafrikansk marimba) og akkompagneret af talking drums ude i landsbyen. I begyndelsen af 2000 blev musikken elektrificeret og bragt til Bamako, hvor den fortsat bliver spillet på klubberne i en rå og upoleret stil.Det var den legendariske guitarist og komponist Francois Pakouene Koita, der omformede musikken til moderne instrumenter og bragte den med til hovedstaden. Her underviste han sine sønner, Dieudonne (bassist, guitarist og komponist) og Ernest (leadguitar), i at spille deres traditionsrige musik med et moderne udtryk. Sammen med deres ældre bror, den prisvindende balafonist Kassim Koita, arrangerede og indspillede de for Ben Zabo. Han var den allerførste bobo-kunstner nogensinde spillet i landsdækkende radio, og hans debutalbum blev udgivet på det prestigefyldte world music-label Glitterbeat.Musikerne turnerede heftigt i Europa, men efter hjemrejsen gik de hver til sit. I 2015 fik Dieudonne, den yngste bror, nogle nye venner fra Danmark. De mødtes tilfældigt i forbindelse med den første udgave af Bamako Jazzfestival, hvor der øjeblikkeligt opstod kemi.I 2016 dannede de Faratuben og udgav deres to første singler, som hurtigt fik opmærksomhed i Mali. Den lange afstand forhindrede dog gruppen i at opretholde et kontinuerligt workflow og lave et helt album. Den danske del af bandet besluttede derfor at forlade Danmark og flytte permanent til den vestafrikanske hovedstad. Her har de forfinet deres personlige lyd, som trækker på den traditionelle bobo, men som også føres ind i dette årtusinde med synths og club-feeling.
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