Fallou Dieng & le DLC, Beusseum-Bi (Vol. 5)
Fallou Dieng & le DLC · Beusseum-Bi (Vol. 5) · Senegal
This tape takes us to Dakar, into the world of mbalax, the popular music genre born in Senegal in the 1970s and 80s, driven by percussion and by singers who work in a tradition close to that of griots, the region's hereditary praise-singers and oral historians.
Who is Fallou Dieng
Fallou Dieng was born in Dakar in 1960, at the start of Senegal's independence, and grew into one of the leading voices of the generation that followed Youssou N'Dour, the country's most famous singer. His music sits within mbalax, and at a time when many Senegalese bands were replacing horns with keyboards, Dieng went the other way and added a second trumpet to his line-up, giving his sound a distinctive brass-driven character. His song “Barsane” was a hit that earned him the nickname “Le Prince de la Médina” (“The Prince of Medina,” after the Dakar neighbourhood), and his singing is described as rich and expressive, moving easily between deep emotion and brighter, upbeat colours.
Beusseum-Bi, the album on this cassette, belongs to that run of releases — alongside Barsane, Biri-Biri and Weex Bet — that built his reputation through the 1990s, before an international compilation called Medina introduced his music to listeners outside West Africa. It was recorded, like most Senegalese mbalax of the period, straight to cassette, with the singer backed by his own band, “le DLC.”
Credits Lead vocal and chorus: Fallou Dieng Vocal: Iba Kane Rhythm guitar: Cheikh A. T. Dieng Lead guitar: Papis Diouf Bass guitar: Nguido Bâ Keyboards: Abdourahmane Cissé Keyboards: Elou Fall Percussion: Aziz Faye Tama: Sam Thiam Drums: Jules Diop Sax: Cheikh D. Barry Guest musicians: Thierno Koïté (sax), Ali Penda Ndoye (trumpet), Baba Gueye (trumpet), Fallou Niang (drums), Titi Tine (chorus) Artistic direction: Pape O. Ngom, Kabou Gueye Lyrics: Mangoné Touré, Cheikh Talli Bouya Ndiaye Recording and mixing: Ndiaga Ndour, Serge Deverves Arrangements: Groupe DLC Production: KSF Management: Babacar Diallo, Mbar Cissé Demo tape: Ousmane Ndiaye Dago Distributors: Ousmane Cessay “Kerewan Sounds” (Banjul); Talla Diagne (Dakar)
Covers
Tracklist
Side A
- Neéw-ji Doolé
- Beusseum Bi
- Soo-Bëggee Sey
- Jog Léén
Side B
- Du-Wess
- Ñatti Dëgg
- Mbokk-Gi
- Yërmande
- Lisa