Five Video Clips from Senegal

Playlist

«Alien Zik, AliBeta, I Science, Yoro Ndiaye, Pape & Cheikh and many others are missing – but five video clips from 2013/14 that is the rule we played.» Jenny Fatou Mbaye from the African Centre for Cities at University of Cape Town was not the first one having problems while compiling a video selection for Norient. Watch the result below and dive into the Sounds of Mbayes homeland Senegal, where the one are praising our mothers and women and the other gathering many of the creative and cultural entrepreneurs who make Dakar’s city hip and happening. At least don't miss our favorite Xuman with his Journal Rappé at the end of this selection.

Artist: Takeifa
Track: No Stress

This track is an extract from their album released in 2012 – however the video clip was released only 2 years after! Having intensively toured in Senegal as well as overseas, the five brothers and sister are an example of these artists who have demonstrated a strong stage presence, being the first among this generation to suggest an original sound to the convention Senegalese music – this still with a digital visual support coming only later after recognition.

Artist: Souleymane Faye
Track: Jeulëti

One of the greatest poets of Senegal, who regularly performs in the capital city and magically plays with words and melodies -, he tells and narrates common stories of life, of love with his majestic and extra-ordinary poetry that feels, touches and moves – this track is the introductory song of an album Djadjé realised by the great keyboard player of the legendary Xalam, Henri Guillabert aka Henguilla, featuring both well-known and emerging artists of the Senegalese music scene.

Artist: Awadi feat. Bouba Kirikou & Natti Jean
Track: Jamm Ci Casamance

A cover of a track of my childhood – of the great Toure Kunda «Emma» – by one of the pioneer of Senegalese hip hop music and two promising new comers on the urban music scene. An happy revisiting of Senegal’s musical heritage; a call for peace in a region of Senegal that has been longing for quiet and rest for way too long.

Artist: Daara J Family
Track: Celebrate

A brand new video in 2013 of a track extract from the 2010 album School of Life – here the two members of another pioneer group in Senegalese urban music offer a track of universal aesthetics, while gathering in a happy video many of the creative and cultural entrepreneurs who make Dakar’s city hip and happening.

Artist: P.P.S. The Writah feat. Amdy
Track: Sunu Meen

Emerging hip hop artist, representing Dakar’s popular banlieue of Rufisque, P.P.S. has quietly but surely imposed his versatile style on the Senegalese music scene, beautifully mastering and technically subliming words; this track, in praise of our mothers and women, sounds like a subtle reminder of his noble simplicity and deep sincerity.

Bonus

Video clips are not just about music but also a way to speak a common language with multiple translations (Xuman); to portray a rich and diverse culture with its moves and dance steps (the Dance Hall); to engage citizens into political affairs that concern them (JTR).

Artist: Xuman
Track: Béggé

Artist: The Dance Hall
Track: 1st urban dance centre in Senegal

Artist: JTR
Track: rapped TV news

I am grateful to my sister Aïsha Dème for kindly conversing and advising around this tough selection.

Biography

Jenny Mbaye is a reader in culture and creative industries, and the Associate Dean, Employability, Engagement and Enterprise, for the School of Communication & Creativity at City, University of London. Her work focuses on urban popular music and cultural economies in Sub-Saharan Africa, with interests in urban creativity, art, culture, development and transformation, creative labour and entrepreneurship, cultural policy, and governance in African contexts. She is a research and policy consultant (UNESCO, OSIWA, British Council; Goethe Institute); member of the group of experts on the UNESCO 2005 Convention, as well as independent auditor for its Creative Cities Network. She is a member of the Kôrè Institute’s (IKAM) educational committee; a jury member of African Art Lines artistic mobility fund; and a member of Pan-African Arterial cultural policy task group. Dr Mbaye currently lives and works in London. Follow her on Website.

Published on May 27, 2015

Last updated on October 08, 2020

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Five Video Clips from Czech Republic

Playlist

by Lucia Udvardyová

This list about some current Czech sounds was compiled by Lucia Udvardyová. She runs the blog Easterndaze, a platform for up-and-coming independent Eastern European arts and music scenes. And thats exactly what we can explore in this list: electronic shaped tracks accompanied by colorful and digital video art – inspired by tumbler aestetics. For the first and the last video we're going to visit particular places in Prague as the ubiquitous Chinese restaurants and the communist council estate. See five video clips from other countries in our ongoing videclip series here.

Artist: Deaths
Track: Karaoke Blues

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Deaths are a young and up-and-coming Czech synth-pop act. In their video, created by Igor Bruso, they plunge themselves into a thriller-like fantasy set in Prague's ubiquitous Chinese restaurants. Equally dramatic and romantic, simply, the Karaoke Blues.

Artist: Space Love
Track: ASH TAR SHE RAN

Andrea Pekárková is known as one of the most inspiring Czech VJs. Under the moniker Space Love she teamed up with her love, the fledgling producer Voodoo, to create an audiovisual project inspired by trap and global bass music, sci-fi, tumblr aesthetics and pop-cultural sampling.

Artist: Střed Světa
Track: Travinou Obklíčeni

The mysterious Střed Světa emerged last year with his debut on the Baba Vanga label (we admit affiliation). «Travinou Obklíčeni» was visualised by the Polish, Bristol-based musician and video maker Wojciech Rusin, augmenting the abstraction of electronic music, but adding various visual ephemera, largely sourced and deconstructed from commercial stock images.

Artist: Lightning Glove
Track: To All Traitors

The aforementioned Andrea Pekárková is also the resident visualist of the increasingly successful «post-rave» project from Prague called Lightning Glove. They have just released a vinyl on the British Ono Tesla label, and their no-frills attitude and forlorn lyrics are a perfect soundtrack to (not only) Eastern urban dystopia.

Artist: Máma Bubo
Track: Skončíš jako já

The Czech band, established in 1983, was one of the pioneers of the local new wave/post punk scene (if you can call it that). Incorporating electronics as well as elements of ska/reggae, Máma Bubo still sound fresh with their characteristically lo-fi aesthetic utilising primitive «home» studios and spreading their oeuvre on cassettes – at that time more out of necessity than fashion. The video for their track «Skončíš jako já» (You Will End Up Like Me) is wonderfully desolate, shot in the then newly built communist council estate in Prague.