Côte d'Ivoire

A 44-minute instrumental journey across Côte d'Ivoire in one continuous arc, from the neon coupé-décalé of Abidjan to the blended market crossroads of Bouaké. No vocals; pure instrumental storytelling.

Each track is composed from the music of its place: the coupé-décalé and zouglou of Abidjan, Francophone Africa's music capital, glowing over the Ébrié lagoon at night; the great interlocking balafon ensembles of the Senufo heartland around Korhogo; the bamboo flutes and polyrhythmic log drums of the Dan stilt-dancers in the western mountains of Man; the speech-rhythm attoungblan of Baoulé Yamoussoukro, where royal-ceremonial tradition meets the surreal vastness of the Basilica; and finally Bouaké, the central crossroads where Baoulé and Dyula musics meet over the hum of the evening market.