Aw Sa Yone Vol 1

This is a breathtaking release from the Greece-based label Teranga Beat, one of the small specialist

Record labels that unearth spectacular long-lost recordings of vintage African popular music. Dieuf-Dieul de Thiès were a Senegalese band who made a series of recordings in the early 80s. Remarkably, the recordings were never commercially released and consequently the band are virtually unknown to the outside world. They were led by chef d’orchestre and guitarist Pape Seck (not the same Pape Seck who sang in Africando) who had previously been a member of Guelewar and Ouza & ses Ouzettes – two of the most celebrated groups of that era.

Dieuf-Dieul de Thiès played traditional Senegalese rhythms spiced up with Afro-jazz, Mande and psychedelic influences. At their most subdued, as on ‘Sibaye’, they match Orchestre Baobab with their sublime, dreamy, saxophone– led meandering Afro-blues. ‘Aling Na Djimbe', on the other hand, is their take on Orchestra Baobab’s ‘On Verra Ça’. When playing in a more upbeat style, with rippling tama and sabar drums, they are every bit as good as any of the Étoile de Dakar or Star Band configurations.

With group members from different parts of Senegal, Dieuf-Dieul amalgamate different cultural musical variations – helped by the fact that their three vocalists all have highly unique and different voices. This previously unreleased recording proves just how great Senegalese music really was in the 80s.