Stefan Simanowitz interviews Vieux Farka Touré.
We meet in London some weeks before he has to fly out to South Africa. Although Dingwalls in Camden is a far cry from Johannesburg’s Soccer City stadium Farka Touré appears to be enjoying the intimate setting. He is relaxed and cheerful despite a grueling tour schedule, starting his set gently with a song called ’Slow Jam’ before gradually moving up the gears to finish an electrifying set with the infectious ’Awei Womei’.
Nicknamed ’the Hendrix of the Sahara’ Farka Touré blends desert-blues with rock, reggae, funk and R&B. Combining strong catchy baselines with intricate guitar work and gentle vocals he seamlessly fuses traditional Malian music with modern instrumentation to produce a distinctive trancey sound. Unlike the some desert blues which is raw and deliberately dissonant, Farka Touré’s sound is rich and warm. His songs are heavily instrumental and at times he drifts into wonderful labyrinthine guitar improvisations that last a full five minutes.
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