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Narr: This is San-Gaa-re, the first song on the new album by Vieux Farka Toure. He is the son and musical heir to the late Ali Farka Toure - the celebrated guitarist who first brought the music of the African nation of Mali to an international audience…
25-year old Vieux's music incorporates his father's traditional West African sound…but blends it with rock, reggae, and funk. His self-titled debut album is currently number 1 on the college radio world music charts and his US tour is co-sponsored by MTV.
The album was released by Modiba records. Eric Herman and Jesse Brenner launched the independent label after they spent a year studying in Africa as undergraduates at Wesleyan University. Brenner was focusing on development in Botswana while Herman studied music in Mali. He says they loved the music they heard there and wanted to share it with their peers. But that wasn't their only motivation.
Ax: I had been thinking towards the end of my trip in Mali what an incredible opportunity I had just developed with this musical community there and how phenomenal it would be to use the music to help the community…
Narr: Modiba's first release was a compilation album called ASAP, the Afrobeat Sudan Aid Project. The label donated more than 150,000 dollars it made on the album to victims of ethnic violence in the Darfur region of Sudan. Herman plans to donate 10 percent of the profits from Vieux Farka Toure's album to Malaria prevention programs in Mali.
Ax: It's basically an idea of inverted capitalism where you create products and commodities and rather than exploit them for profits you exploit them for humanitarian processes
Narr: But the music of contemporary Africa remains the focus for the label's founders. Jesse Brenner says African music has not been properly marketed and distributed to younger audiences in the US…
Ax: We're really confident that this kind of music will appeal to younger people - our contention is that it's not the music - it's the way the music is being taken out…
Narr: So as part of their strategy to bring Vieux Farka Toure's music to that audience, Modiba has launched an on-line contest. Listeners can download portions of the album for free and then remix the music on their computers. So while the original version of one song sounds like this…
(Sound up)
Narr: In the hands of a digital d-j, it comes out sounding like this…
(Sound up)
Narr: Jesse Brenner says the goal of the contest is to get younger people interested in African music…
Ax: A lot if it's just exposure really - getting people to just hear it and getting people to hear it with an open mind - that's half the battle and if the music is good, they'll be able to relate to it…
Narr: Vieux Farka Toure says he has a long way to go before he can be called a musical ambassador like his father. For now he's simply enjoying the opportunity to share his music with new audiences…
Ax: I'm a lowly musician and I'm still learning. I just want to please the public and that's good enough for now...
Narr: Critics have heaped praise on the album. And the diverse audiences at his live shows seem enraptured…
Narr: Eric Herman and Jesse Brenner say these fans are part of a new wave of Americans who understand Africa better through its music. And they give something back each time they purchase a Modiba record….
Bilal Qureshi, Columbia Radio News