About The Music

Dakar To Port Loko: Perspectives From West Africa is proud to feature some of the very best West African music available. Click on the links to sample (or purchase) the following albums:

Fallou Dieng’s Medina CD plays like a greatest hits album since the tracks were, in fact, selected and remastered from four locally popular cassettes released in Senegal from 1994 to 1998. Aside from the beautiful ballad “Koleure (‘96),” these tracks are extremely energetic and well-crafted; Senegalese mbalax at its best. “Withiaxou” (featured in the film) and “Walo Walo” are two personal favorites.

Just months before passing away in June 1994, S.E. Rogie recorded Dead Men Don’t Smoke Marijuana, a timeless classic of Sierra Leonean palm wine music. The melodically interwoven strings and soothing vocals of tracks such as “Kpindigbee (Morning, Noon and Night),” “Koneh Pelawoe (Please Open Your Heart),” and the title track “Dieman Noba Smoke Tafee” (featured in the film) truly display a master at work.

Super Mama Djombo was Guinea-Bissau’s premiere music group from the mid-seventies to mid-eighties. These 14 tracks, remastered from the band’s only recording session during that time period, are thoroughly captivating. From the upbeat defiance of “Dissan Na M’Bera” to the yearning of “Gardessi” (featured in the film) and the hauntingly beautiful vocals of “Assalariado” (also featured in the film), this album is an absolute gem. In addition, the band reformed in early 2008 and is now touring and recording new material.

Jaliba Kuyateh is the most popular musician from The Gambia, Africa’s smallest country. His sound adds a modern flair to traditional griot singing and he is a master of the 21-stringed Kora. While “Fitna” (featured in the film) has unfortunately not yet been released on CD, Jaliba’s greatest hits album is now available to enjoy.

Recorded by Stephen Jay in the mid-seventies, Africa: Drum, Chant, & Instrumental Music captures the raw, invigorating, and unfiltered sounds of street musicians from across the Sahel. From the powerful rhythms of “Songhay Gulu Drummers” (featured in the film) to the simple, free-flowing medley of “Bounkam Solo,” these historic tracks are sure to transport listeners to energetic ceremonies and idyllic evenings of decades past.