Issa Bagayogo - 2002.Jul.20 Cartagena, Spain

Just over two months ago, we lost (again) a great Malian musician: Issa Bagayogo. It can be stated that he had lived an interesting life with varying experiences, to say the least. Happily we can keep remembering him by listening to his music, and present you here a (short) live recording to do so.

Issa Bagayogo - 2016.Oct.10 RIP "Techno Issa" - afropop - sixdegreesrecords

Issa Bagayogo 2002.Jul.18 at Joe's Pub in New York (source: gettyimages)

Bio from 2002 Festival in Spain

source: www.lamardemusicas.com/historico/anteriores/2002/musicos2002

Korin Bagayogo Issa was born in 1961 a few miles from Bogouni, birthplace of one of the great stars of Mali, Nahawa Doumbia. Like many young artists, he started playing very young, first daro, called the work of field workers and then with the very small guitar young guitarist known as kamele Malian ngoni, as he began singing. It was thirty years old when he decided to leave the capital, Bamako. It was there that Philippe Berthier proposed record though economically the result was not too good to Bagayogo, who returned to his village with some cassette tapes with his picture, but no money. Although in 1993 attempted to try his luck with a new recording in the same format, very common in the market drives from West Africa, to support his family was away for a while from his sleep. Abandoned by his wife, returned to Bamako again, willing to change their fate. And were Moussa Koné, former guitarist of Ali Farka Touré's band and sound engineer Yves Wernert, who gave a twist to his career by proposing a production in which, despite his initial reticence, tradition opened to more electronic sounds. 'Sya' (1998) was a success that has also marked his new album 'Timbuktu' (2002), where 'Techno Issa', as he is now known, has included the sound of the ngoni, but also the female voices, and other synthesized perscusiones own textures and dub electronic music.

Listen to a track he performed at the 2002 Festival


Issa Bagayogo - 2002.Jul.20 Mar De Musicas Festival, Cartagena, Spain

setlist: 1.Kouloun / 2.Dambalou / 3.Nogo / 4.Gnele
source: BBC Radio 3 - Andy Kershaw (2002.Aug.16)

Issa Bagayogo - Discography

sources: mali-music (through web.archive.org) and sixdegreesrecords

1998: Sya (CD/K7, Mali Music/Six Degrees) - K7 at awesometapes
2002: Timbuktu (CD/K7, Mali Music/Six Degrees)
2004: Tassou Ma Kan (CD/K7, Mali Music/Six Degrees)
2008: Mali Koura (CD, Six Degrees)
also album(s) with remix versions of tracks from above albums

Issa Bagayogo - Things to Watch

• 1998: Diarabi - videoclip
• 2002.Nov.23 London Jazz Festival - audio only 
• 2003: 2 songs at Roots & Routes (where?) - video
• 2003: 3 more at Roots & Routes (where?) - video

Fresh MUSIC and

to ENJOY and eat RAW!!!!