Artist: Mammane Sani et son Orgue
Title: La Musique Électronique du Niger
Genre: Ambient, Minimal Synth
Country: Niger
Release date: 1979 (2013 re-release)
Track List:
- Lamru
- Salamatu
- Kobon Lerai
- Lidda
- Bodo
- Tunan
I think it'd be safe to say that most of us don't know much about Niger: "It's one of the poorest countries in the world", and that's pretty much all. The
Wikipedia page on Nigerien music confirms that it has had little international attention, yet there still are some interesting acts - mostly rap and Touareg blues. While the whole "desert blues" scene is very fascinating and I definitely will return to this topic some time later, this time I'll tell you about the only Nigerien electronic musician I know - Mammane Sani. This album, recorded in 1979 and re-released on vinyl in 2013 by Sahel Sounds, is an examlple of a masterpiece created with a primitive electric organ and not much else. While Mammane Sani's works certainly are grounded in Nigerien folk music, the end result is far from folk or so-called "world music", but the fans of early (mid-1970s and earlier) experimental electronic music would enjoy it for sure.
A description from Sahel Sounds:
"Mammane Sani Abdullaye is a legendary name amongst Niger's avant garde. A
pioneer of early West African electronic music, for over 30 years his
instrumentals have filled the airwaves. The instrumental background
drones of radio broadcasts and instrumental segue ways of TV
intermissions borrow heavily from his repertoire. The dreamy organ
instrumentals drift by sans comment, yet are known to all.
Mammane first found the organ in 1974.
Mammane's composes in technique that can only be called minimal, relying
on the simplicity and space. It is a remarkable manipulation of sound
that uses the silence to invoke the emptiness - a metaphoric desert
soundscape. Unsurprisingly, his source material is folkloric Nigerien
music, and many of the compositions on this record are reproductions of
ancient songs brought into the modern age. Interpreting this rich and
varied history of Niger's dance and song for the first time in
contemporary musics, Mammane electrifies the nomadic drum of the tende,
the polyphonic ballads of the Woddaabe, and the pastoral hymns of the
Sahelian herders. Accompany this repertoire are a few compositions, such
as Salamatu, the deeply personal love letter to an unrequited romance.
His first and only album was recorded in 1978. Mammane stepped into the
studio of the National Radio with his organ, where it was transposed and
overdubbed in two takes. In coordination with the Minister of Culture,
the album was released in a limited series of cassettes showcasing
modern Niger music. The cassette project unfortunately did not progress
as planned, and merely a handful were released. Today his cassettes are
rare objects, highly sought by fine art connoisseurs and experimental
music collectors in Niamey"
