Burkina Faso: Volume 1 SF103

Single LP version of limited 3xLP box set released exclusively on the Sublime Frequencies website.
Sublime Frequencies presents one of its most ambitious releases to date: A spectacular three-LP box set of landmark recordings made in Burkina Faso by Hisham Mayet during three expeditions from 2013-15, housed in a breathtaking full-bleed slipcase with a 32-page booklet of Mayet’s stunning photography.

Despite political upheavals and the logistical complexities of recording in the bush, Mayet was able to compile a matchless overview of Burkinabé music from the Mossi, Bissa, Fulani, Dioula, Bobo, Samo, Lobi, Senoufo, and Bwaba people.

Volume 1 highlights the sacred and secular music of the regional balafon or xylophone revered by the Lobi people of southwestern Burkina Faso. In Lobi culture, the balafon performance is not simply music; it is a form of speech that allows master musicians to converse intimately with the living and the dead.

This LP showcases two side-long performances that are as thrilling as any Burkinabé music ever recorded. These tracks not only echo but also further some of the greatest examples of Western avant-garde music: Imagine the pulsating minimalist motifs of titans like Terry Riley or La Monte Young elaborated into a dizzying maximalism.

Pressing Information

Limited edition of 400 copies. Comes with a full-color insert of liner notes and a map of Burkina Faso.