guelewar: touki ba banjul acid trip from banjul to dakar

Touki Ba Banjul is a compilation of music from the Gambian psych sensation Guelewar, who played a major part in the development of the Afro Manding sound. From 1979-1982 the band released four albums, featuring some of Gambia's best funk tunes. This official, first-time-ever reissue features the highlights of their career. Before Guelewar, Laaye N'Gorn, the lead singer of the band, was already one of Gambia's most celebrated artists. He was the central figure in The Supreme Eagles, with whom he played as the main act in one of Gambia's successful clubs, The Bambo No. 1 Night Club. In return for the success, the club manager offered them instruments, after which they renamed their band Super Alligators. Due to the mixture of Western influences such as soul and funk, with traditional and regional rhythms like boogaraboo and sawrouba, Super Alligators had a unique sound. The result of this blend is known as the psychedelic sound of Gambia (Senegal). In 1973 the Super Alligators decided to rename the group Guelewar, which is Wolof for "noble warrior." After a turbulent couple of years with many musicians joining and leaving the band, Laaye managed to reform the band in order to record their first album in 1977. Over the course of the following five years, Guelewar released a total of four albums, which are all filled with deep psychedelic funk gems. Due to the limited pressings, these albums are very much sought-after by collectors. Kindred Spirits compiles the highlights of these albums, which are presented on this double LP. Touki Ba Banjul is not only a must-have for collectors of African music, but for music lovers worldwide.