Susso – Keira

Susso, better known as bassist and producer Huw Benne, creates music on this record inspired by the folk music of the Mandinka, which he recorded himself directly on location during a trip through Gambia and processed further as samples. He never intended to do this; he had traveled to Africa to broaden his horizons, to experience new forms of music firsthand, but not to develop an album directly from it.

It turned out differently, and that was not only due to the visitor, but also to his incredibly open hosts from the famous Suso and Kuyateh families, whose musical history as griots, the equivalent of our troubadours, revealed deep traditions. The tracks on "Keira" (which translates as "peace") combine this with his skills as a multi-instrumentalist.

Susso plays various percussion including the regional mandinka balafon and, of course, double and electric bass. The result is songs with a modern, electronic sound that nevertheless do not lose their connection to the traditional, Gambian aesthetic. "Keira" takes the listener on Huw's journey up the river Gambia, to remote dusty villages where friends are the most important thing in life.