Kabaré Balafon, Lobi Balafon - Sublime Frequencies Presents Burkina Faso: Volume 1 (2016)

Between 2013 and 2015, ethnomusicologist Hisham Mayet (Hisham Mayet) conducted three field recording expeditions to Burkina Faso, producing a comprehensive audio documentation of the musical traditions of the Mossi, Bissa, Fulani, Dioula, Bobo, Samo, Lobi, Senoufo, and Bwaba peoples. The first volume of this ethnographic project focuses on the sacred and secular traditions of the balafon xylophone, a central instrument in the culture of the Lobi people in the southwestern region. Within Lobi tradition, the instrument serves as a medium for verbal and spiritual discourse, bridging the world of the living with that of the ancestors. Featuring two side-long extended tracks, the album showcases intricate polyrhythmic structures that yield a dizzying, maximalist sound closely aligned with Western avant-garde music and instrumental minimalism reminiscent of Terry Riley (Terry Riley) and La Monte Young (La Monte Young).

Tracklist:
1-1 Kabaré Balafon;Kabaré Balafon - Cabaret Music (Djan) (Lobi) [19:55]
1-2 Lobi Balafon - Funeral Music (Lobi) [21:59]