Exclusive Premieres

Exclusive Premiere: Burkina Azza “Enkabé Kélékan”

Afro Worldwide Sounds

We’re excited to premiere the beautiful and propulsive sounds of “Enkabé Kélékan” by Burkinabe collective Burkina Azza.

“Enkabé Kélékan” is taken from Burkina Azza’s absolutely brilliant, deep, and extremely addictive debut album, ‘Wari Bô’, forthcoming via London’s Social Joy record label. ‘Wari Bô’ is a musical tale that covers every aspect of Burkina Azza’s values and worldview. The album takes us to the very soul of Burkina Faso, giving us a taste of the deep connection of the artists to the beauty and culture of this country.

The Burkinabe collective, from Nayerina in the Djibasso region, was born from a lineage of balafonists and percussionists musicians called “The Griots”, often referred to as a “living archive of the people’s traditions”. ‘Wari Bô’ was recorded in Ouagadougou, capital of Burkina Faso, in January 2020, on the brink of the worldwide coronavirus pandemic, after label owner Guilhem Monin came across an outstanding street performance via the African Drumming Facebook group the year before.

Two years later, this release is the result of a friendship and love of music that connects two continents and travels across borders, space and time. Burkina Azza’s performances hail the importance of peace, joy and harmony, and education. We can hear this most clearly in the track shared here “Enkabé Kélékan”.

Pre-Order

“Music is love, and when we are playing we are in love”, the band say. ‘Wari Bô’ will see release on May 24th on vinyl, limited to just 500 copies, and is available to pre-order now.

MIMS Team

MIMS Team

This is a team post by the MIMS writers. It's hard to get 20 music nerds to agree on something but we do it for you!