Bougouni Yaalali / Various

Bougouni Yaalali is the second volume of a three CD series of releases being released on the Yaala Yaala label via longtime US indie Drag City. Bougouni is a town of approximately 20,000 people two hours south-southeast of Bamako, Mali's capital and this music was recorded in and around Bamako and Bougouni on a Minidisc with a small stereo mic. Much of it features the 'ngoni' played in the kamelen style. Distortion is an inbuilt part of much of this rural Malian music. Both djembe players and ngoni players often add flattened insecticide cans pierced with hundreds of tin rings to their drums. It is no clich to say that any ramble through Bamako or Bougouni would include a soundtrack of either live or recorded music. Music is literally everywhere in Bougouni and Bamako, and the songs on Bougouni Yaalali are representative of what you might hear.