Words by Justin Turford
One of the cornerstones of our existence as Truth & Lies is our mutual love of the combining of drums and horns. This incredible album from the majestically named Assiko Golden Band De Yoff gives us drums and horns in abundance, and so much more.
The Senegalese band are a huge drum collective renowned for their all-night sessions at weddings, political rallies and parties in the capital Dakar but this is the first time that they have recorded an album proper, and it’s a beauty: a polyrhythmic record as vital as anything by the legendary Nigerian drummer and activist Babatunde Olatunji.
On ‘Magg Tekki’, Senegalese poet Djiby Ly from Wau Wau Collectif (more on them shortly) is backed by an extraordinary amount of percussion instruments plus horns, winds, balafon, accordion, and call and response vocals that sound like humanity bursting at the seams. Wild, propulsive and full of the exultation of the spirit, one can hear in the ancient rhythms and voicings on this record, the West African country’s musical influence on the New Orleans Mardi Gras Indians, the influential Niyabinghi Rastafarian drum sound of Count Ossie, and even the Afro-Brazilian blocos de rua traditions.
“Based in the impoverished neighborhood of Grand Yoff and operating as a mutual aid group for the larger community, the band builds its songs on ancient rhythms passed on from Senegal, Cameroon and the infamous Gorée Island. In both Wolof and French, Djiby preaches a message of uplift and cooperation rooted in the Sufi teachings of the Mouride Brotherhood, as well as Christianity and animist religions.”
Karl Jonas Winqvist (Sing a song fighter boss and a highly impressive musician / producer) came across the band whilst visiting Dakar in 2018 around the same time that he co-founded the brilliant Swedish-Senegalese outfit Wau Wau Collectif. The tricky process of recording large amounts of musicians in both countries and sharing the production responsibilities between himself and Senegal based collaborator and studio engineer Arouna Kane (via WhatsApp) for their two wonderful albums to date, was a steep learning curve that would come in handy for the recording process of the debut record by Assiko Golden Band De Yoff. As it is, the sound of this album is bright, clear and powerful, the elaborate and seemingly endless layers of percussion never get lost in the tumult, the additional contributions on saxophone, accordion and koras sonically embedded as though every track was recorded in one take, in one space.
Single and album opener opener ‘La Musique Du Cœur’ sets the stall out early with fizzingly complex polyrhythms, a relentless call and response that translates as “Senegal, my life my joy” whilst the horns add another more jazzy character (think Shabaka Hutchings or other spiritually inclined players) to the song. What a start!
Bègue Bègue’ is a charming piece that starts of with a lovely accordion and voice duel before it abstracts itself with tumbling drums, lead vocal and kora interplay, the accordion easing itself back into the game. This is one that reminds me of Northeastern Brazilian forró or even some Peruvian music that I’ve come across. The folksy combination of hand drums and accordion is a winner across the globe.
The tight-leashed ‘Sama néné’ is a heavyweight dancer, its intricate but pounding groove absolutely irresistible as Djiby Ly sings a super-catchy lead hook, the chorus response loud and sung with purpose. Amanda Fritzén’s accordion is used more as a haunting texture on this one and it works beautifully.
There are a couple of sublime ‘kora interludes’ on the record which are most welcome. The sound of the sea, the birds, waves and occasional human voices an atmospheric backing for a solo turn by one of the most evocative of stringed instruments.
'Kora Interlude 1’ works nicely as a palette cleanser before the title track ‘Magg Tekki’, a beguiling combination of knotty drums, balafon, flute, accordion and voice. Little touches of dub echo and a brilliant moment from the Swedish composer and sax player Lina Langendorf just adds to the messy wonder of this song, a song that despite repeated listens, I still can’t quite work out. In a good way.
‘Baye Ndongo’ rolls in a similar vein as ‘Sama néné’ with insanely tight percussion and some of the best call and response vocals on the album. The layers of percussion include big drums that act like Brazilian surdos, all bass rumble and thunder, while metallic pieces ping and clang with syncopated urgency. You could dance to the shakers alone such is their timekeeping perfection.
“We build our own country” the band proclaims in Wolof on the anthemic ‘Xarrit’, a rollicking high speed drums and vocals beast that I could imagine losing my head to at one of their all-night parties! Again this harnesses that same group energy and similar drum and vocal combination that I love from Bahian carnival music. As a lover of Brazilian music, this record has joined a number of musical dots for me: the Senegalese connection is clear as glass.
The exuberant gospel of ‘Mix Louange’ is a joyful journey, the massed vocal chorus the focus of this one, their voices brimming with exultation and devotion as the drummers play off with the kora and other instruments, the song’s celebratory force powering along with a loose fluidity.
The final song on this beautiful album is ‘Borom Darou’, another commanding song that sounds like it has ritual at its heart. Hypnotic call and response voices and tough drums keep it locked solid until the kora adds its melodic mysteries, softening the song’s hard shell to the end.
‘Magg Tekki’ is a magnificent record of the multi-generational Assiko Golden Band De Yoff’s potent powers and talents. The subtle guest contributions to their huge sound adds another welcome dimension, the result an intoxicating and electrifying album that goes straight into my favourites list in a particularly good year for new music releases. You want to feel alive? Turn this up! 10/10/
Out now on Sing a Song Fighter / Mississippi Records.
BUY HERE! https://mississippirecords.bandcamp.com/album/magg-tekki