Awesome Tapes From Africa‘s next release will come from Mali musician Awa Poulo. Poulo Warali is the Peulh singer’s first record with international distribution.
She hails from Dilly, Mali. Peulh (or Fula) people are spread across the Sahel region of Africa, and are often pastoral and nomadic, and the label says that Poulo “broadcasts her vision of Peulh music beyond the grazing grounds and central markets of her remote home region in Southwestern Mali.”
Incorporating flute, hand percussion, guitar and a lute-like instrument called the n’goni, Awesome Tapes also says that Poulo Warali, recorded by American producer Paul Chandler in Mali, is a “rare example” of Peulh music “played in a modern, cosmopolitan context, reflecting the mixed society of Dilly.” Poulo is the daughter of famous Malian singer Inna Baba Coulibaly. Her conscious lyrics about community concerns speak to the distinctive identity of her broadly-spread people. While Peulh represents less than 10% of Mali’s melting pot of languages, the dynamic music here powerfully resonates well beyond the linguistic borders.
Here is ‘Djulau’, the second track off the forthcoming album:
Releases January 20, 2017
For more information visit Awa Poulo’s Bandcamp page.