11 June 2013

Mayotte






Ahmed ‘Babadi’ Mohamed was originally a native of the tiny island of Comoros. For the last 34 years he has lived & played his music on Mayotte, another island near Comoros. Since he was very young, Babadi was interested in music. He was inspired by his idols Manu Dibango & Alpha Blondy, & so took up a career in reggae.

Babadi came on the scene in 1997 with socially conscious lyrics & a staunch defense of modern M'godro traditional songs of the Comoros. His third album, "Resistance" made him a permanent fixture on the scene Mahoran. His music combines M'godro with a African reggae. It is propelled by an insistent percussion inspired by Central African kwassa, tinted with Seggae Mauritius (seggae is a fusion genre of sega, the traditional music of the Mascarene Islands, & reggae) & filled with lyrical melodies typical of Mahoran.


On his first release, Chigoma Ya Léo, the music lies somewhere between tradition (chigoma or traditional wedding ceremony songs) & modernity (Ya Léo).

On Résistance, the brass instruments, the voices, & the percussion invite us to a festive Mgodro while mixing with the warm rhythms of African reggae music. Babadi’s desire is to contribute to the resistance against political hypocrisy that deceives the people, whether in Mayotte or anywhere else where the negative effects of ‘globalization’ are imposed.

“The situation in society is degrading day after day and the politicians are there, like the cat, to frighten the mouse, in order to quiet their voices and instill submissiveness,” says Babadi, a singer & guitarist of the new generation of African reggae.

decryption code in comments

Tracklist -       

Freedom
Maore
Mr Boina
Coco
Diya
Africa
Chigoma
Fight
Oumani

 Babadi -  Résistance, Tamamuzak, 2000. 
decryption code in comments

Tracklist –

Résistance
Duwa
Sa Devise
Taxi Brousse
Mnafiqui
Maraguissi
Ribanga
Anti-Fachos
Fulani
Nissuriya
Vola Mena
Gourmand
Jah Love

  Babadi – Le Chat et la Souris (The Cat & the Mouse), Tamamuzak 2002.
decryption code in comments

Tracklist –

Comores Unit
Rikiya Ar Ari
Happy Days
Kaya Survive
Reggae Vibration
Ali Baba et les 7 Voleurs
Reggae Aspirine
Tranga
Code Noir
L'Appel
Oeil pour Oeil
Le Chat et la Souris
Mlozi 

Enjoy,





1 comment:

  1. Chigoma Ya Léo
    ZfxYWjD_mIcHGWcfgEPCwQBZHIB6dU0uWyLfUdZLMkE
    Résistance
    TVNo3Ut-RlnzbmqDIpvW1nvVZ9kFSGRWvVJlBFXCzUE
    Le Chat et la Souris
    URoNDTeOhSxzzc5C0F7XsV6qXYtpLnkDElaO0pPmwa8

    ReplyDelete