Souleymane

Boosted by the success of a first album admired by all and a series of concerts which often turned into wonderful dance nights, Debademba is a group formed from the magical encounter of two fellow musicians: the guitarist Abdoulaye Traoré from Burkina Faso, who is a soloist and an inventive beat master, and the Malian singer Mohamed Diaby, a charismatic griot. These colourful characters are, like the other members of the group (the rhythm section and the keyboard players), Parisian Africans who are very prominent on the capital's cosmopolitan live music scene. The kind of music they make is modern and explosive, drawing from afrobeat, highlife and mbalax styles, with hints of Mandinka music mixed in, all combined with strong blues elements and the occasional nod to rock.
Set to humanitarian and generous lyrics (the name of the group means 'one big family' in Bambara and their motto is 'We're together!'), Souleymane is a powerful manifesto, an invitation to celebrate, a flow of fiery lava winding its way between urban grooves and afro-pop.