Burkina Electric is an electronic music group from Ouagadougou, the capital city of Burkina Faso. They are one of Africa's first electronic acts.[1] Despite the group's African origins, they are mostly based in New York City.[2] They were formed in 2007 when Maï Lingani (vocals), Wende K. Blass (guitar), Kurt Dahlke (electronics), and Lukas Ligeti (drummer) created the band for a tour of Austria. Lingani and Blass are from Burkina Faso, Dahlke (also known as Pyrolator) is from Düsseldorf, Germany, and Ligeti is from Austria.[3] They released an EP called "Reem Tekre" in 2007 on the Atatak label.[4] The group contributed live music to the ballet "Itutu", which debuted in 2009 and was performed by Karole Armitage's company Armitage Gone! Dance.[5] Their first full-length album, Paspanga, was released in early 2010.[4] It was described as "fierce" by Richard Gehr in Spin,[6] and as "a sleek, kinetic album" by Nate Chinen.[7]
Burkina Electric | |
---|---|
Origin | Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso |
Genres | Electronic music |
Years active | 2007 | -present
Labels | Cantaloupe Music |
Members | Lukas Ligeti, Maï Lingani, Wende Blass, Kurt Dahlke, Wendy, Zoko Zoko |
Discography
edit- Reem Tekre EP (2007, Atatak)
- Paspanga (2010, Cantaloupe)
References
edit- ^ Kertzer, Jon (26 January 2010). "Burkina Electric: 21st-Century African Music". NPR. Retrieved 12 December 2014.
- ^ Kertzer, Jon (27 December 2010). "5 New African Bands That Ruled In 2010". NPR. Retrieved 14 December 2014.
- ^ Fader, Lainna (22 September 2011). "Music Picks: Ravi Shankar, Marilyn Scott, Duran Duran, Burkina Electric". LA Weekly. Retrieved 12 December 2014.
- ^ a b Jurek, Thom. "Burkina Electric Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved 12 December 2014.
- ^ Milzoff, Rebecca (25 October 2009). "Ballet Electric". New York Magazine. Retrieved 12 December 2014.
- ^ Gehr, Richard (April 2010). "Burkina Electric: Paspanga". Spin. p. 85. Retrieved 12 December 2014.
- ^ Chinen, Nate (10 January 2010). "New CDs". New York Times. Retrieved 12 December 2014.