Customer Reviews

Vol. 2-Frikyiwa Collection

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This album was supposed to take the traditional music of Mali and meld it with DJ Culture. Unfortunatly, it sounds canned - as if the producers who made these tracks simply laid down a couple of beats and basslines and layered samples or vocal chants over them. Much of the tribal percussion isn't worked into the heart and soul of the song, and it comes off sounding generic. A couple of exceptions are Llorca's remix of Abdulaye Diabate's "Foronto", which I just can't stop listening to, Frederic Galliano (the founder of frikyiwa)'s remix of Neba Solo's "Noumou Foly" and German Masters of Minimalism Pole's remix of Labi Traore's "Sayo". The rest of the album just isn't worth it..if you're looking for good integration of African Rhythms and deep house music, check out Afronaught, or some of the mix CDs Nightgrooves has been releasing.
Or go straight to the roots, and listen to some Fela Kuti.

This is a good idea but the African percussion is drowned out. Needs more balance. Don't just remix these African songs into techno drown-outs. The idea is to blend traditional African instruments and rhythms with modern technology and make folks dance. I think I'm going to do it myself...

I am a big fan of many of the Malian artists featured on this collection. Some of these remixes live up to the originals, but alas, most of them don't. Neba Solo's "Noumou Foly," for example, as remixed by Frenchman Frederic Galliano, loses much of its precious steam. Galliano actually slows it down, reduces its momentum and does little beside. I don't know much about techno (is that even the genre here?), but I don't think it's supposed to make its source material LESS danceable.

I did like the treatment given to Abdoulaye Diabate's "Foronto," which rocks on this CD, and a few of the other remixes. But given the promising idea these DJs started with, I'm not so satisfied with the results.

The 2nd Frikyiwa collection is a beautiful marriage of African vocals and chants set against French house beats. The only problem with the CD is that it is more house than world music. The final product is heavily layered and complicated, but still oriented within a house focus. So, all in all, it's a good buy that's billed incorrectly. Buy this album as an African influenced house album, not as Africanized techno. The closest comparison I can think of would be Talvin Singh's "OK" album; great drum beats and house rhythms driven by an Asian influence.