Abou Diarra

World Music - Africa - Mali

Struck by the ancestral Mandingo hunters culture, Abou Diarra is an n’goni player (Malian harp guitar) with an atypical and strange career. Trained by his blind virtuoso master, he walked the roads between Abidjan, Bamako and Conakry for several months, only accompanied by his instrument. Crossing the remotest villages of West Africa and modern supercities, he is simultaneously influenced by hidden traditional sounds and contemporary urban music... His music deals with journey, exile, movement, life... He is fascinated by blues, jazz, reggae, groove... the rhythms and styles where country, sounds and influences meet... Abou adds strings to his n’goni and goes beyond the classic scale, using his n’goni as a guitar, a bass, a harp or a drum... in silent and nostalgic ballads or “bal poussière” wild rhythms.