Discover Guiss Guiss Bou Bess’ electro-sabar live set on PAM. The concert was captured during a series of shows hosted by ElectrAfrique, the collective working in Dakar and beyond to promote Afro-electro.
Set Sela is the album’s name – released in late 2019 – by Guiss Guiss Bou Bess. Already covered by PAM, this is a project dominated by “electro-sabarization,” a happy marriage of electronic grooves and the Senegalese tradition of sabar, the name emblematic of a Senegalese drum ensemble, the dances impelled and the moments of joy provided. The title track, “Set Sela,” which means “to visit” in Wolof, emphasizes the importance of hospitality.
The track was remixed by several DJs/producers who gave it new shades and characters, resulting in Set Sela Remixed, an EP released back in December 2020. Stéphane Costantini, Guiss Guiss Bou Bess’ beatmaker, explains: “Set Sela Remixed wants to be a celebration of the multiple fusions of music from the African continent and electronic music in all their possible forms.” As for the singer, Mara Seck, he is enthusiastic: “With each remix I discovered, I was always amazed to see how music is a journey into the infinite of all possibilities.” With the (Bissau-) Guinean Buruntuma, who has made his mark on the Portuguese electro scene, the Congolese DJ Renaldo, the French artists David Walters, Feldub and Maelstrom, but also the Malian Gaspa who continues to reinvent the electro scene in Bamako.
The Franco-Senegalese group also released a new video clip “Sunu Gal” on March 16, with ISS 814. It is a track that calls for consensus, reminding us of the importance of the ties that bind Senegalese society together. A sense of humor, also – a West African trademark – and when joking plays a part in defusing conflicts, recalling the links that unite families and peoples of Senegal. The video comes at exactly the right time with the country experiencing strong political and social tensions since the beginning of the month.
PAM invites you to experience the set, which is reminiscent of the time when Covid loosened its grip, and when music simply brought good vibes.
Don’t miss this live set, which will be broadcasted on our YouTube channel, Thursday March 25.
Listen to Set Sela (remixed) on Bandcamp.
