Issa Bagayogo

Infobox musical artist


Name = Issa Bagayogo
Background = khaki
Born = flagicon|Mali Mali
Occupation = Musician
Genre = World Music
Years_active = 1998 - present

Issa Bagayogo (b. 1961) is a Malian musician. He has released three full-length albums all under the record label Six Degrees Records. Issa lends his voice and plays the kamele n'goni (a six-stringed West African instrument similar to a banjo) while Yves Wernert is the producer and keyboardist. Bagayogo blends his native Malian traditions with western pop music.

Sya, originally released in 1998, is the first album released under Six Degrees Records. The album was a standout in Malian music drawing comparisons to some of the great Malian musicians such as Ali Farka Touré and Toumani Diabaté. In this album the native Malian sound is very apparent but the electronic production techniques are also very apparent. There is a noticeable dance vibe in this collection of songs. The fusion between musical styles was a huge step for Bagayogo because it gave him large recognition in Europe as well. During this album's era, Bagayogo was given the name "Techno Issa", which is now what most Malians call him.

The second album is titled Timbuktu, after the well known ancient city in Mali. He maintains the griot tradition of singing about issues such as racial tolerance, regional pride, and drug abuse among youths. Bagayogo continues his fusion of his native African style music with electronic beats.

In 2004, Bagayogo released his album called, Tassoumakan, which means "voice of fire". This album became another large success and the songs are more structured and are also more upbeat. There is also a lot of focus on the female background singers. This album is definitely Issa’s most sophisticated album yet.

Discography

* "Sya" (1999) Six Degrees Records
* "Timbuktu" (2002) Six Degrees Records
* "Tassoumakan" (2004) Six Degrees Records
* "Mali Koura" (2008) Six Degrees Records

External links

* [http://www.sixdegreesrecords.com Six Degrees Records Website]