Batch Gueye – vocals/dance
Tom Challenger – sax/keys
Phil Stevenson – guitar
Johnny Brierley – bass
Kaw Secka – sabar
Dave Smith – drums
FOFOULAH (meaning “it’s there” in Wolof) is a London-based group featuring Senegalese vocalist, dancer and percussionist Batch Gueye, Tom Challenger (Red Snapper, Brassmask) on saxophone and keyboards, guitarist Phil Stevenson (Iness Mezel), Johnny Brierley (Ruhabi) on bass, Gambian sabar drummer Kaw Secka (Ruhabi) and drummer Dave Smith (Robert Plant, Juju, Ruhabi). With the rhythms of the Sabar drums – a traditional form of Wolof drumming from Gambia and Senegal – at its heart, Fofoulah’s music has evolved into an inspired cosmopolitan mélange that also incorporates elements of electronic music, dub, improvisation, afro-rock and Wolof dance.
Their critically acclaimed debut album ‘Fofoulah’, produced by Smith, was released on Glitterbeat Records in September 2014. The album is a previously unvisited crossroads where Sabar rhythms meet dub basslines and sci-fi synths; liquid melodies and Wolof rap entangle with trance-like dance grooves; and raw guitars, horns and samples blend with west and north African song forms.
Fofoulah is not merely a cross-cultural project. They are a dynamic band born naturally out of personal friendships and varied backgrounds, the nerve net of contemporary London and the post-global interconnectedness we all experience daily. The band is propulsive, innovative, celebratory and always leaning forward.
“With solid roots in West African sabar drumming, Fofoulah blend multiple genres to
create a complex fusion of modern pop, jazz, rock, electro, hip-hop, prog and
dub … A promising debut from an exciting and talented group of musicians.” ****
Songlines (Top of the World album)
“African drumming, trance grooves, dubby bass lines and rock guitar with plenty of
spatial improvisation.” Uncut
**** The Guardian ***** The Independent on Sunday **** Financial Times **** Songlines **** Mojo
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SMITH | SHARKEY | CHALLENGER | CALVERT
Dave Smith – Drums
Chris Sharkey – Guitar, Electronics
Tom Challenger – Saxophone
Matt Calvert – Electronics
SSCC come together to deconstruct and abstract their past (and future) work as members of Ma, Shiver, Three Trapped Tigers, Trio VD, Fofoulah and Outhouse. Expect the New.
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MOGADISCO
MogaDisco comprises four collectors, all with a passion for the music of Africa. Look here for the continent’s finest sounds: from Afrobeat to Highlife, Nigerian Jùjú to Ethiopian Jazz, Disco, Soukous and everything in between.