Djembe

Frank Bessem's Musiques d'Afrique:

Senegal

Back to Musiques d'Afrique
Retour aux Musiques d'Afrique

Country menu
Burkina Faso
Cameroon
D.R. Congo
Congo
Côte d'Ivoire
Guinea
Mali
Senegal
Other countries

Site menu
Site Search
What's new?
Newsletter

The rest...
Festivals
News Archives
Most visited
artist pages
Artist pages w/
most albums
About this site
& legal stuff
Acknowledgments
Other albums
Concert Posters Gallery
CD Gallery
CD Reviews
CD shop
Links
  Overview... About Senegal
The music of Senegal was made world famous by Youssou N'Dour, but others, such as Baaba Maal, and Ismael Lô, have gained international acclaim on Western markets too. On the African continent, everybody knows Senegalese music for its energy, although only the Senegalese can dance the "ventilateur"...

Senegalese music was heavily influenced by Latin music until well into the 1980s. Bands like the Star Band, Orchestre No.1, and Etoile de Dakar all started playing latin music. Even now, Africando is internationally successful with latin flavoured music, and many of its members were formerly part of these earlier bands.
Relatively late compared to surrounding countries, Senegalese musicians searched to use traditional Senegalese rhythms in popular music. By then, the mbalax sound has gained importance, mainly through Youssou N'Dour but also Thione Seck, Ismael Lô, and Super Diamono, but Gambian neighbour Ifang Bondi had a pioneering role in this quest for using local elements in modern Senegalese music.

Although the music scene is traditionally dominated by the wolof people with the mbalax rhythm, Baaba Maal was the first to break through this hegemony. Maal, of toucouleur origin, has become very popular with his yela music.
Bands like Toure Kunda play a softer, more accessible music, with influences from the Casamance region and from neighbouring countries like Guinee-Bissau. They sold 100,000s of LPs in France during the 1980s. If you prefer acoustic recordings, try the rootsy music of Pascal Diatta and Sona Mané, the folk oriented music of Diogal Sakho or Metzo Djatah or the acoustic recordings of Baaba Maal (album Djam Leelii). It will change your life...

Since the 1990s, rap and hiphop has become very popular, but since long before, a traditional form of rap existed in Senegal, the Tassou. At the same time, the mbalax music has developed into a new generation by younger musicians, the Boul Falé (=don't care). These constant dynamics of the musical landscape in Senegal show that the Senegalese musical and cultural identity is very strong, and although Western music has a considerable impact, this identity will remain strong.


Senegal flag Official name: République du Sénégal
map Senegal Region: West Africa
Capital: Dakar
Official language: French
Main ethnic groups: Wolof, Serer, Tukulor, Lebu, Jola, Soninke, Mandinka, Maures


Flags courtesy of ITA's Flags of All Countries used with permission.


Senegal Artist Pages Links



See also these Gambian Artist Pages

Valid CSS!

Copyright © 1997-2012 Frank Bessem | The Netherlands
Contact | Legal Notice | About This Site | Site Search Engine