Master musician and band leader N’famady Kouyaté offers Sussex dates on first UK tour

His Balafo Douma tour will take in Chidham Village Hall on November 9; The Star in Guildford on November 11; and The Rosehill in Brighton on November 12.

N’famady released his first EP in July 2021, recorded with a full-band line-up, including guest appearances from Gruff Rhys (Super Furry Animals), Lisa Jên Brown (9Bach) and Kliph Scurlock (The Flaming Lips). The EP features mash-ups of traditional Guinean songs with new Welsh lyrics, modern and traditional instrumentation, played by a ten-piece band. He is also releasing a new single entitled Dere Ma on the Welsh label Libertino Records.

N’famady offers his modern interpretations of traditional West African Mandingue songs and rhythms. His primary instrument is the balafon – the traditional wooden xylophone sacred to West African culture and his family heritage of the griot/djeli. In Guinea he founded Les Héritiers du Mandingue, a tradi-modern group which toured extensively in West Africa.

“This is my first ever tour here and it is a great atmosphere so far,” he says. “It has got a very good vibe. I am really looking forward to it. It has been a long time coming. This is pretty much like my second summer here. I moved to the UK three and a half years ago. I came to visit my friends in 2018 to see if I would like the UK. It was raining a lot and it was very wet but that is good. I like the rain. I got married to Welsh lady in January 2019. We met back in Africa in 2017 when she went on a cultural expedition. She was supposed to be discovering African culture and African instruments and so on and on that trip I was one of the musicians. I was living in Africa at the time. I have always wanted to share my music around the world so this is great. I am from a musical family going back through the generations. I have been playing since I can remember, since I was five perhaps. Everyone plays music in the family and I've always toured across Africa.

“This is my home now. Every now and again I went back to Africa to visit but I enjoy the music here and I enjoy the festivals that you have got here. I enjoy very much making music over here and there are lots of opportunities. I have got my background culturally to my music but the change over here since I have been here is the fact of other influences are coming into my music from things like pop and indie. I am already following that path and I'm bringing those things into my own music. I have got EPs at the moment and we are looking to release an album next year but I've got an EP with four songs on for this tour. It's good fun when you are touring but it's also hard work but definitely a lot of fun and it's a good way of seeing the country and also meeting lots of people.”