Tukuleur

TUKULEUR, OUMAR SALL - Biography

Influenced by his African roots, Oumar Sall is the founder of the World Music group Tukuleur [http://www.tukuleur.com] . Oumar was born in Montargis, just south of Paris, where he was raised with his brother Moussa by Senegalese parents. At the age of 20, Oumar decided to discover his heritage and embarked on an educational journey to Senegal. While there, he took note of the immense beauty of his parent's homeland and became determined to master his family's native tongue of Fulani, also known as Peul of Pulaar, as well as other regional African dialects. Upon returning to France, Oumar studied African Languages and History at the University of INALCO in Paris. It was then that he realized his calling for writing and performing traditional African music. "I feel that tolerance is achieved by sharing our cultural differences and celebrating our gifts," explains Oumar. "Through music we can forge understanding, appreciation and relationship with diverse people from across the globe." Oumar is also a supporter of the world hunger organization Action Against Hunger, also known as Action Contre La Faim.

Music

In 1993, Oumar and his brother put together a group called Impact. While in the studio, Oumar met up with guitarist William Camara, which began their long-standing collaboration on composition, arrangement and production. Their first album was entitled "Femme" and included influences of rap music. By 1994, they renamed the group Tukuleur with the remake of the song Africa [Africa (Song)] by Toto on their album, Njibinaami. Their version of the song "Africa" attracted attention from record executives and landed them a contract with [Putumayo Records] , for inclusion on their Cover The World CD [http://www.putumayo.com/en/catalog_item.php?album_id=77] as well as Travel The World CD. They continue to have a solid web presence on YouTube and MySpace with "Africa," including a beautifully filmed DVD realized in Senegal. Since that time, Oumar has spent years working to discover and craft his style and now, along with guitarist William Camara, has returned to the music scene with his retooled band, under the banner of Tukuleur. No longer including rap, Tukuleur has a unique blend of traditional African music incorporating urban influences. Traditional, soul, pop and hip-hop, songs are performed in a variety of languages, including Fulani, Wolof, Mandingue, Soninke, French, English and Spanish.

Discography

1993 – Femme
1994 - Njibinaami - Sony BMG Music Entertainment, France
1994 - "Africa" - Cover the World, Travel the World, Putumayo Records

References

[http://www.tukuleur.com] Official Site Tukuleur
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Africa_song] http:/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Africa_song
[http://www.putumayo.com/en/catalog_item.php?album_id=77] Putumayo Records inclusion of Tukuleur's "Afrika" song.