Splice Sounds - Splice Sessions is the publisher.
This new installment in the Splice Sessions series was recorded at Dakar's Laboutique Studios with Sidi Koita, an internationally renowned balafonist who has performed with the National Orchestra of Senegal and many other bands. Coita, a member of the Grio family from Senegal's Mandinka community, celebrates the fusion of traditional Senegalese instruments and modern musical techniques.
The Mandinka balafon, also known as bala or balafon, is a type of idiophone (an instrument that creates sound through vibration). This is comparable to a xylophone in the West. To create a distinct buzzing sound, the balafon is reinforced with small vessels under the keys and small layers of film covering the holes. The instrument is capable of producing rich, full, and cohering sounds.