Aboubakar Traoré & Balima

Aboubakar Traoré is from Bobo Dioulasso, second main city of Burkina Faso and trully a cultural crossroad. The music in this country plays a very important role in people's every day life. It's in the 22nd district -a burgeoning musician's neighbourhood- that Aboubakar has learned to play Kamélé n'goni and to sing. He now masters the ancient repertoire of the Mandingo Griots and is currently freeing himself from tradition through his personal compositions. In his songs he talks about Faso's everyday hardships and pays hommage to the ancient ones who built West-African history.

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Built around Aboubakar's original songs, the arranging and choices of instrumentation are made collectively by the band's members.

What makes Aboubakaar Traoré & Balima special? Their sound, their unique mixture of west-african musical tradition infused with elements from various genres: from jazz vibes to hip-hop beats, from ancestral 'chants' to contemporary production techniques.

Aboubakar Traoré: Kamélé n'goni, lead voice / Geoffrey Desmet: Balafon, djembé, backing vocals [Sysmo] / Jonathan Dembélé: electric bass, backing vocals [Rokia Traoré] / Guillaume Codutti: percussions, backing vocals [Sysmo] / Désiré Somé: Guitare, backing vocals [Foofango]