Sya

Issa Bagayogo’s debut album sounded like nothing else when it came out in 1999. Working with French producer Yves Wernert, Bagayogo mixed traditional Wassoulou music, based on his kamele ngoni (literally “young man’s harp,” a kind of secular adaptation of the sacred doso ngoni), with electronic beats and a series of ambient sounds, like the sound of water and chirping birds, producing an album that changed Malian pop music forever. The electronic element doesn’t overshadow Bagayogo’s expressive kamele ngoni, and in fact lends itself perfectly to the repetitive, trance-like groove of Wassoulou music.