World Circuit, a British label run by the enterprising Nick Gold, has done a lot to promote West African and Cuban music. Mr Gold has recorded the most delectable artists; the label has put out the most tasteful compilations. Partly as a result of this, West African music has exploded into the musical consciousness of the West. Countries like Mali, Senegal and Burkina Faso were found to have rich musical traditions, with performers who could drive Western audiences delirious with joy at festivals.
Farafina, from Burkina Faso, are a part of this phenomenon. They have been together since 1978 and combine singing, manic yet controlled drumming and expressive dancing to create one of the most exciting live acts on the circuit.
There is so much percussion in their music! The drums include the tama , or the talking drum, the djembe and various others. The look of ecstasy that unfolds and remains on the face of the drummer as he plays is something to behold. The percussion is so controlled, orchestrated and ecstatic that the audience responds with wild abandon; for a while, they are amnesiac to the rest of their lives!
The tracknotes on their album Balamakote (available on Intuition Music) are in French, reminding us of the colonial past of their country. Introducing a beautiful track called Mandela , they write that the song is 'dedicated to Nelson Mandela, inviting everyone, all the people of Africa and of the world, to denounce apartheid by spelling out Mandela's name and giving him the support to pursue his struggle'.
Their songs encompass a wide array of subjects. The note for a song called Kabourodibi takes on what might be called a Buddhist sensibility or a reminder of the grim reaper. The song means 'The rave's darkness'. It is, they write, a 'song dedicated to the universal equality of men, reminding us that the darkness of the grave is the same for everybody'.
What a leveller! This is not to say that Farafina indulges in gloom. Rather to the contrary, the band has the most joyful attitude and music imaginable. To start the mornings with a dose of Farafina is rather like one of those famous pick-me-ups that the impeccable English butler Jeeves gave Wooster in the morning. Your eyes leap out of their sockets and rebound off the wall before they return to their rightful place. A few tracks later, you are ready to face the day.
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