tonypi
Starts very Malian.
Then some horns join in. And a gong announces the arrival of a drum kit which skitters and shimmers as the horns go wild, electric guitar bursts.
This could be the most perfect collaboration possible.
Both sides shining and boosting the other.
Favorite track: On est ensemble.
On est ensemble is a project born from the meeting of Electric Circus, an Italian based funk band, and Sahel Roots, a duo from the north of Mali. The two bands are composed by young musicians who are exploring in their own way new sounds. Electric Circus are inspired by experimental funk-psych western music while Sahel Roots uses traditional Malian instruments and melodies in a modern way. The purpose of the project was to encounter these two realities in the name of brotherhood besides borders and distance.
The project began in 2021 but its roots sprouted earlier, in 2019. Electric Circus was then engaged in the making of the soundtrack for a documentary series (Contrecourant by Andrea de Georgio), shot in Senegal and Mali. This first direct approach to west african culture and Mali in particular marked the band deeply. Thanks to Michele Cattani, an Italian movie-maker based in Mali and engaged in the contemporary Malian music scene, the band reached out to Sahel Roots, who at the time were inflaming club stages in Bamako and Ségou.
With a strong desire to share and create, Sahel Roots enthusiastically agreed to participate in the collective project proposed by Electric Circus. It all took place remotely: Sahel Roots recorded in Bamako (Mali), while the Electric Circus in Turin (Italy). Each of the two bands proposed two compositions that the other one completed. The musicians worked hard to get the right balance for the tracks, but in the end, differences were not a problem. While speaking different languages, through music they felt at ease and they comfortably understood each other.
The bands shared this experience wholeheartedly and the final sound flows as if arising from afar. On est ensemble! We’re Together!
credits
released June 2, 2023
Alassane Samaké - calebasse, percussion, voice
Adama Sidibé - soukou, djourou kelen, voice
Gabriele Perrero - guitalele, bouzouki, electric guitar
Paolo Pilati - classical guitar, electric guitar
Paolo Urbani - drums
Federico Bevacqua - percussion, vibraphone
Giuliano Buratti - sax, flute
Francesco Cretti - bass, electric guitar, acoustic guitar
Tommaso Santini - violin
Composed by Electric Circus and Sahel Roots
Arranged and produced by Electric Circus
Recorded in Torino (Italy) and Bamako (Mali)
Mixed by Marco Sirio Pivetti @ MetròRec (Riva del Garda, TN, Italy)
Mastered by Mauro Andreolli @ das Ende der Dinge (Trento, Italy)
Artwork: Stefano Grisenti
Originally from Bamako but with its roots more in the Sahel area and in the desert, Sahel Roots is a young band of two
musicians. The music of Alassane Samaké, singer and percussionist of the Calebasse, and Adama Sidibé, whose instruments are the Soukou and the Djourou Kelen, bridges the gap between traditional and contemporary Africa....more