Joe Driscoll & Sekou Kouyate

Of course, you can’t go wrong just using your own name, as New York singer-songwriter/rapper/beatboxer Joe Driscoll and Guinea’s answer to Jimi Hendrix, Sekou Kouyate, have done. Honest, no-nonsense, straight up.

But then, when you’ve made a record as mind-blowing as Faya , you can let it speak for itself. Kouyate’s spiralling west African melodies knit perfectly with Driscoll’s languid lyrical flow and knack for looping music phrases. World music that redefines the term. - The Big Issue

There are no easy categories or genres to slot this album into. But, let’s try anyway. If you like quality guitar work that is both fast and innovative, give this record a spin. And if you are like me, you will hear some classic blues, African blues, flamenco, classical, and perhaps some psychedelic touches (similar to a modern electric sound in the worldbeat style that Boiled in Lead employed).[48]Some of the instrumental flash is on a stringed instrument from West Africa known as a kora. There are vocal styles that resemble hip-hop, reggae, and some pop soul. This sound manages to be both welcoming and mildly exciting. - Folk World

Sekou Kouyate is one of Africa's most exhilarating kora players, best known for his work with his Guinean compatriot Ba Cissoko, but he is clearly trying to expand his audience. A music festival in Marseilles commissioned him to work with Joe Driscoll, a New Yorker based in Britain, whose style is influenced by folk and hip-hop. They enjoyed playing together, though they have no language in common, and their debut album, Faya, proved an unexpected success.

At this midnight session, they showed the strengths and limitations of their collaboration. Backed by bass and drums, the set started full-tilt with Passport, and continued at much the same pace. They both sang, in French and English, with Kouyate showing a fine, soulful voice and Driscoll switching between singing and rap. The high point of many songs was a kora solo from Kouyate, who produced an astonishing rapid-fire cascade of notes from the African harp that inevitably drew comparisons with Hendrix. - The Guardian

American hip-hop singer-songwritter Joe Driscoll and Sekou Kouyate, Kora player with Guinea's Ba Cissoko, decided to collaborate on an album after jamming together at a French festival in 2011. The outcome is a bounary-trampling hybrid in which the lightning fast electrified licks of Kouyate are matched by the explosive energy of Driscolls rapid-fire rhyming. - Songlines

Hip hop singer songwritter teams up with kora king.

New Yorker Joe Driscoll(now based in the UK and part of the One Taste collective) and Sekou Kouyate, the kora player from guinea's Ba Cissoko, met at the NUits Metis festival in France, spent a week jamming together and where so pleased with the results that they decided to record what came out. Driscolls 2011 'Mixtape Champs' was described by reviewers as a mix of rap, nu-blues, folk, rock and turntabling with a dash of world music thrown in. His willingness to trample down musical boundaries calls to mind Damon Albarns inventiveness. Kouyate. as he has shown with his electrified, effects laden kora playing with Ba Cissoko, is also a great experimenter. The nine tracks they recorded together fill just over half an hour and betray their jamming origins, cooking up the kind of reggae/afro-beat/hip hop/global rock soup that is usually the default setting when musicians who do not share a common culture or language get together. There are some fantastic moments, however full of explosive energy: Driscolls rapid fire rhyming is echoed by Kouyates lighting fast kora licks on the opener 'Tanama' while his rapping on songs such as 'Passport' and 'Ghetto Many' exhibit a powerful social conscience. Track to try: Tanama - Songlines

French festival organisers love fusion. An event in Montpelier first brought together Fanga and Abdallah Guinea, and it was a Marseilles festival that commissioned the eclectic London-based New York rapper and folk-soul-reggae artist Joe Driscoll to work with Guinean kora virtuoso Sekou Kouyate, who is best known for his playing with Ba Cissoko. The two musicians don't have a language in common, but their collaboration is a gloriously accessible collision of styles. It starts with a throbbing riff and furious workout from Kouyate that explains why the French call him the "Hendrix of the kora". Then Driscoll eases in with cool, rhythmic vocals and guitar work in a style that segues from soul to hip-hop and reggae, with Kouyate adding inspired kora improvisation. It's an unlikely collaboration that works, magnificently, especially on the angry, driving and rhythmic Birnakely. There's only one problem: at 37 minutes, it's too short. - Tha Guardian

Unlikely pairings can oftentimes have beautiful results. For music, there’s Joe Driscoll, a one-man show, who plays guitar, beat boxes, sings, and raps- paired with Sekou Kouyate, A Guinean kora playing whiz. Their team-up began with a chance meeting in France that led to musical collaboration. While the two can barely communicate with one another, they have a way with music.

Faya breaks language barriers and makes you realize that troubles are universal, as is hope. The two make music with fury, but while each verse is heavy, it’s not depressing. They attack poverty, language barriers, and other social issues.

While the album vibes off of hip-hop beats that sounds familiar in many ways, as does the Guinean influence, Sekou stands out with his electric kora playing. Over Joe’s built up beats, Sekou sometimes soars away on a delicious solo, like on the opener, “Tanama”.

In fact, the flipping of sounds is wonderful: Joe’s organic beat boxes and Sekou’s electric kora both break the molds. Joe kills every line he takes on, rapping at rapid fire. “Feel the blessing/ stepping through the sun/ Just ask him how to shine/ he’ll show you how it’s done,” Joe unleashes on “New York”. “Cali had the redwood trees/ but New York’s my home,” he adds.

The real gem, however, is “Passport”, with its distinctive bassline and easy flow. Sekou’s voice is mild and contemplative while Joe’s is bombastic. Each duet creates interesting intersections of sound. Joe seamlessly takes over where Sekou steps out. And having classic hip-hop conventions over the steady West African groove, where otherwise a rap song might be flush with noise, also adds texture.

Another beauty is “Zion”, the album’s closer, which is a folk song with pop power. One of the best aspects of Faya is the fun these two seem to be having, which transcends through the speakers. “Zion”, although serious in nature, isn’t angry. It’s placid. “Music will guide/ life will provide,” Joe sings, and maybe this is the takeaway. “People will get justice/ and life will be fair.”

This collaboration didn’t happen to improve album sales, or drop a stellar number one hit. Faya comes from love of music and its uses to get us to think about the important things. Joe and Sekou’s music will grow on you. It’s pretty and fierce. It’s tight and loose. For anyone that looks beyond the surface, I highly suggest checking out this album.

Bottom line: An interesting collaboration of widely different sounds leads to a unique sounding album of West African vibes blended with hip-hop aesthetic. - Angelica Music

New York/England-based rapper/beatboxer/singer-songwriter Joe Driscoll and Guinea’s Kora extraordinaire Sekou Kouyate have been making music together ever since they met way back in 2010 at the Nuit Metis festival in Marseille. Since then the duo have taken their fresh afro-blues infused hip-hop folk to audiences worldwide– and, word is out that they’ll be joining the likes of Jupiter & Okwess International and The Nile Project at Zanzibar’s Sautiza Busara Festival.

The duo’s full-length debut Faya is set to drop February 18th. The video for the album’s first taste features a hooded Driscoll and a candle-lit Kouyate spreading their moody atmospheric vibes across Bristol city. Kouyate’s spellbinding kora provides a perfectly unexpected melodic undertone to Driscoll’s dexterous flow. Watch the video and grab a download of “Faya” below. Look out for Joe Driscoll & Sekou Kouyate‘s debut February 18th via Cumbancha Discovery. - OK Africa

We’ve featured this collaboration before - a rapper/beatboxer/singer-songwriter from Syracuse, NY and an electrifying African kora sensation from Guinea. But trust the Guardian (UK) which states: “A gloriously accessible collision of styles. It’s an unlikely collaboration that works, magnificently.” Joe Driscoll & Sekou Kouyate were featured last week on NPR’s World Cafe “Next” and have been receiving rave reviews across the board. Their debut album Faya is out February 18th on Cumbancha Discovery. - Brooklyn Radio