Etran Finatawa: Introducing Etran Finatawa

African Folk / African Blues
premiera polska: 2006-12-08
kontynent: Afryka
kraj: Niger
opakowanie: plastikowe etui
opis:
Machina; 02/2007, ocena: * * * * * :
Nieubłagany transowy nerw przypomina o Can, a rozjechana motoryka gitarowych improwizacji przywodzi na myśl Velvet Underground. Plemienne zaśpiewy i gęstwina drobnych instrumentów perkusyjnych wyraźnie jednak dają znać, iż jesteśmy w innym kręgu kulturowym. Etran Finatawa to zespół, w którym grają muzycy z dwóch koczowniczych ludów regionu Sahary. Pozostający w kręgu wpływów arabskich Tuaregowie i Wodaabe, którym bliżej do kultury czarnej Afryki. Spotkanie czarnych polirytmii i bliskowschodniej hipnotyczności przynosi kapitalny efekt. A potęguje go fakt, iż obok tradycyjnych instrumentów zespół używa elektrycznych gitar. Jedna z najlepszych ostatnio porcji lotnego, psychodelicznego transu o korzennej sile wyrazu. Freak folkowcy i postrockowcy wysiadają. Wiwat nomadzi!
autor: Rafał Księżyk

Editor's info:
Etran Finatawa combine the rich nomadic cultures of the Tuareg and Wodaabe people from the West African country of Niger - a region that for thousands of years has served as a crossroads between the Arabs of North Africa and the sub-Saharan traditions. Etran Finatawa blend traditional instruments with electric guitars, combining the polyphonic songs of the Wodaabe people with modern arrangements, transporting you to the Sahara with their evocative sound.
Powerful and hypnotic, the music of Etran Finatawa incorporates raunchy rock guitars, driving percussion and chanting. From Niger, located south of Algeria and north of Nigeria, the group consists of four Tuareg (renowned around the world as desert nomads) and six Wodaabe (distinctive in their striking face paints) musicians. Despite different heritages and languages, they are both nomads of the Sahelian savannah, sharing the beauty and extremity of their natural environment. It is this shared experience - and the explosion of interest in desert sounds (created around the annual Festival In The Desert) - which brought them together to form Etran Finatawa. Since January 2004, they have become well known in Niger, performed in festivals in Mali and Morocco and toured across Holland, Germany and Switzerland. Etran Finatawa, which means 'the stars of tradition', are a symbol of peace and reconciliation, combining the two nomadic cultures of the Wodaabe and Tuareg without losing the essential character of either. It is this rich and heady blend that makes their music highly innovative and unique. Music is a therapeutic medium in both cultures and some of the songs are specifically healing songs. 'Ronde' entreats people to join in a dance that accompanies a healing session known as Fidjo Mossi in the Fulfulde language. 'Maleele' is another healing song that calls Lame, a girl loved by all of the Wodaabe for her beauty, to come and dance. Many of the songs refer to the band's outstanding natural surroundings - 'Iledeman' is a famous dune in the desert in northwest Niger - and others remind us, by their rhythm, of the gait of a camel's walk. The Tuareg are, among other things, famous camel breeders and 'Heeme' is a traditional song praising the camels that compete in the races. The lyrics of the song can vary according to the occasion and the music is accompanied by a dance that imitates the running of a camel. Other songs include social commentary, such as 'Anadjibo', which symbolises the rivalry between tradition and Islam in Niger. The Wodaabe have been Moslem for many years but their nomadic lifestyle can sometimes make it difficult to fulfil their religious duties, for example here, the herdsman Anadjibo is trying to pray at the same time that his cattle are running away. Introducing Etran Finatawa is testament to the group's talents, incorporating the rich and diverse traditions and sounds of the Wodaabe and Tuareg. Without diffusing their cultural identities, they have joined forces to produce an album of rare and powerful beauty. Etran Finatawa will be performing across Europe in the summer of 2006.

muzycy:
Alhousseini Mohammed Anivolla: Backing Vocals, Guitar
Ghalitane Khamidoune: Lead Vocals, Guitar
Chris Birkett: Bass, Percussion
Sandra Van Edig: Backing Vocals
Karikabi Harika Gadé: Backing Vocals, Percussion
Zaid Ag Abdoul Jamil: Backing Vocals, Percussion
Bagui Bouga: Backing Vocals, Shekere
Bammo Agonla: Lead Vocals, Percussion

utwory:
1. Surbajo 05:30
2. A Dunya 05:03
3. Iledeman 03:40
4. Aliss 05:48
5. Maleele 03:51
6. Iriarer 04:55
7. Ekenan 05:39
8. Anadjibo 05:26
9. Ronde 05:06
10. Heeme 04:21

total time - 49:37
wydano: 2006-04
more info: www.worldmusic.net