Senegalese artist based in Basel, Switzerland, Mafou is shaking up his adopted city by bringing his rhythmic background to European clubs. He gives us a glimpse of that promise in a beat-centric PAM Club.
Resident of the club Elysia and co-founder of the crew and events Somatic Rituals, Mafou intends to spread his knowledge of the beat to the four corners of the city of Basel. Born from a Senegalese father and djembe teacher, Mafou was naturally imbibed with the science of rhythm, transmitted by his father before landing on the European continent. Far from his country, the DJ and producer promised not to break his intrinsic link with West African music, educated in contact with popular mbalax songs. He proves today with “Warda”, a track released on the recent Rhythm Section compilation, that he does not intend to bury his roots. In this track born from the need to reconnect with dance floor bangers after the Covidian period, Mafou combines traditional percussive patterns with club sounds, with a penchant for trends from across the Channel. Drawing his influences as much from Led Zeppelin as from West Indian urban music or African reggae Mafou delivers a hypnotic and tense mix in which the beat is definitely king. A good detour before the release of his EP Khezu which plans to translate his Senegalese rhythmic heritage through the language of machines.
“During Covid I unfortunately didn’t have access to gear to record my mixes and Podcasts. So this one is one of the first ones where I really could do some mixing again. I did less preparation for the mix and freestyle’d more, witch I prefer to do, with new tunes I recently got.”
Tracklist:
1. OnominO – Prell
2. Simo Cell – Not All It’s Cracked Up to Be
3. PPC – Raw Riddim
4. Kaval – Sunken Riddim
5. Mr. Mitch – Stinky Leg
6. Swordman Kitala – Kimbalagala (Kouslin remix)
7. Glimmerman – Step Mode
8. Andria – Bedroom
9. Skillibeng – Coke
10. E-Unity – Not for me
11. Kindohm – deck
12. JV & Palf – JBNT
13. Hagan – Ashanti War Dub
14. Mafou – Evom
15. Tano – Granita
16. T5UMUT5UMU – They Call it Gqomish Techno
17. Big Ever – Apti
18. Paracusia – Am i real enough for you
19. Less-O – Bumblebee
20. Jennifer Walton – Flash (w/BFTT)
The Rhythm Section compilation is still available here.
