Assiko Golden Band de Grand Yoff
Curated by Lonnie Holley
Vital and exciting, the music of Assiko Golden Band de Grand Yoff is rooted in a very specific community, Dakar’s nightlife scene, but speaks to the world. For twenty years and across three generations of band members, they have played raucous all-night jams at weddings, secret parties, and political rallies; until grainy cell phone footage of their shows has spread online reaching new audiences globally. Senegalese poet Djiby Ly preaches a message of uplift and cooperation, backed by fourteen different percussive instruments plus horns, winds, balafon and the occasional accordion. The sprawling drum collective builds songs on spiritually elevated grooves and ancient polyrhythms–passed on from Senegal, Cameroon and the Gorée Island–to give life to innovative infectious jams.
