I first met Falle Nioke when we were both performing at the the Jazz Stroud festival. We had a good chat about West African music, the band Pigeon he fronts, his solo projects and he listened generously to me talking about my Mother of Mankind project. At the end of the night we said we would stay in touch and when I was thinking about what country to do for October I thought - I could do Guinea and see if Falle is up for joining me for an interview. So I got in touch, and thankfully he was.
As you will hear in the interview, Falle grew up alongside Griot friends (with surnames like Sissoko, Kouyate and Diabate) but he was not born into a Griot family himself. He did have a strong drive to make music from a young age however and played music, danced and sang since he was around 14.
He is now part of the brilliant group Pigeon (based in his now home-town of Margate in Kent) and has just released his first album Love From the Sea. He has started his own label by the same name and is just about to go on tour supporting Duran Duran with Pigeon, on their first stadium tour.
Falle picks out some of his favourite artists and tunes from Guinea, this one is not to be missed!
Full Tracklist:
Pigeon - Yagana
Kaloum Star - Gbassikolo
Super Boiro Band - So I Si Sa
Balla et ses Balladins - N'na Soba
Falle Nioke - Limanya
Sory Kandia Kouyaté - Souaressi
Mory Kanté - Yeke Yeke
Takana Zion - Conakry
Falle Nioke - Sewale
Ans-T Crazy - Balangnymödou
Djelykaba bintou - Teriya
