Chants et Rythmes en Pays Yacouba – Editions Trindia – Production Oulaï T. Francis – OTF LP 002, around 1980 (LP)
The Dan people inhabit the mountainous region of northwestern Ivory Coast and northeastern Liberia. Their remote, lushly forested habitat shielded the Dan from outside influences and Christian proselytism, which sustained an unbroken continuity of their complex social and religious traditional practices with a deep connection with nature and the realm of spirits and the ancestors.
This very rare album of the music of Ivorian Dan, also known as the Yacouba in Ivory Coast, features forceful, inspired esoteric rituals and ceremonies recorded in the village of Trinle Diapleu (A1-A3) and the city of Yapleu (A3, A4, B1-B6) in northwestern Ivory Coast around 1980. The tracks here include trance-like polyphonic male (A1, A2, A4, B5, B6) and female (B2-B4) choruses and soloists in call-response with lead singers at times modulating their voice to achieve an otherworldly sound, accompanied by drums, shakers, rattles, and metal percussion; percussion (B1) and an enthralling antelope-horn ensemble with drums (A3).
Les Dan occupent la région montagneuse du nord-ouest de la Côte d'Ivoire et du nord-est du Libéria. Leur habitat reculé recouvert de forêts luxuriantes a protégé les Dan des influences extérieures et du prosélytisme chrétien, ce qui a permis une continuité ininterrompue de leurs pratiques traditionnelles sociales et religieuses complexes avec un lien profond avec la nature et le monde des esprits et des ancêtres.
Cet album très rare de musique des Dan ivoiriens, également connu sous le nom de Yacouba en Côte d'Ivoire, présente des rituels et des cérémonies ésotériques puissants et inspirés enregistrés autour de 1980 dans le village de Trinle Diapleu (A1-A3) et la ville de Yapleu (A3, A4, B1-B6) dans le nord-ouest de la Côte d'Ivoire. Les morceaux ici comprennent des chœurs polyphoniques masculins (A1, A2, A4, B5, B6) et féminins (B2-B4) et des solistes en appel réponse, avec parfois des modulations de voix pour obtenir un son éthéré, accompagné de tambours, de hochets et de percussions métalliques ; des percussions (B1) et un formidable ensemble de trompes d'antilope accompagné de tambours (A3).
Many thanks to João for sharing yet another gorgeous ultra-rare recording!
Photographs below are from Musique Dan by Hugo Zemp, Cahiers de l’Homme, 1971, and The World of Masks by Erich Herold, Hamlyn, 1992:
Antelope-horn ensemble and drums (see A3):
Dan mask, Ivory Coast:
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I am listening to the lp now. This is a fantastic album, with far superior performances to most releases of 'field recordings'. Really Great. Thank you so much for sharing.
ReplyDeleteYou're spot on Matthew. The two hard-to-find LPs on this label are the best Yacouba/Dan music I heard. Take good care.
DeleteI am a happy owner of this LP and have been looking around for quiet a while for the other LP, without success. Any chances?
ReplyDeleteYou're lucky indeed to own a copy of this truly excellent record. I once listened to the other LP on this label - Fanfare Yacouba OTF LP 001 - simply one of the most exciting African traditional music I ever heard, but I unfortunately don't yet have access to a copy I can post.
DeleteThank you so much for this wonderful recording.
ReplyDeleteOne can find additional field recordings Hugo Zemp made with the Dan people through CREM-CNRS: https://archives.crem-cnrs.fr/archives/collections/CNRSMH_I_2003_004/
Thank you. It's my birthday soon. This perfectly qualifies as a gift .. and what a gift!
ReplyDelete