Rough Guide To Unsung Heroes Of African Music - Playlist

Read on to learn about some of our stand out tracks, or scroll straight to the bottom to get stuck into the music!

This playlist is a unique insight into some of the best African music you’ve never heard by artists whose brilliance has always been slightly under the radar.

Nuru Kane at Essakane

Nuru Kane - Niane
Nuru Kane's many-sided music is part-Moroccan, part-Senegalese, part-blues, part-whatever else he fancies throwing into the mix. Born in Senegal's hustling bustling capital city Dakar, Nuru’s track ‘Niane’ features his trademark sound of the Guimbri that forms the backbone of his pulsating live performances.

Sally Nyolo - Me So Wa Yen
'Me So Wa Yen' by Sally Nyolo is a high energy rhythmic tour de force. Sally Nyolo is an artist deeply committed to relating her music to the natural wonders of her homeland Cameroon. ‘Me So Wa Yen’ is taken from her classic release Tiger Run, an album whose message is to move people to listen closely to the world around them.

Lala Njava - Sweet Lullaby
Lala Njava's 'Sweet Lullaby' adds a gentle touch to the playlist, as Lala's honeyed tones lull the listener into a sweet serenity. This song is a lovely example of the diversity of Lala Njava's music, which stems from Madagascan tradition but is laced with afrobeat, trance, and jazz.

Lala Njava

Mamane Barka - Tchidim
As a nomad of the Toubou tribe, the late/great Malam Mamane Barka was the indisputable son of the desert and the world’s last remaining master of the biram. He maintained the tradition single-handedly, bringing the boat-shaped instrument to world’s attention with his own unique blend of desert blues.

Bheki Mseleku - Celebration
'Celebration' by Bheki Mseleku is a fantastic example of soaring African jazz, layered with the rhythms and horns of Afrofunk, but drawn out at a slower, more bumping and grinding, pace.

Dilon Djindji - Maria Teresa
A grand master of the native marrabenta dance rhythm of Mozambique, Dilon Djindji’s pure and heartfelt guitar playing on ‘Maria Teresa’ accompanies his story telling of a man torn between two women.