Malian Desert Folk Musician Sidi Touré to Perform in London

Malian musician Sidi Touré, a disciple of Ali Farka Touré, will bring his desert folk sounds to london on Friday, March 14 at The Forge.

Sidi Touré comes from Gao, the ancient city on the banks of the River Niger in the North Mali, recently devastated by extremist attacks. Toure is a descendant of royal griots from the Songhai Empire.

The winner of two Malian national awards for best singer, Sidi is a well-known figure in his home country and is beginning to achieve well-deserved success and critical acclaim abroad.

Sidi Touré is a significant proponent of Songhai blues (like Ali Farka Toure) and draws inspiration from African tales, but is also influenced by Western music. He naturally fuses tradition and modernity with attractive, beautifully crafted songs of real-life African magic storytelling and city-dwelling dilemmas.

Sidi Touré has released three critically acclaimed albums, Sahel Folk (2010), Koima (2012) and Alafia (2013), on the American label Thrill Jockey Records.