Super Bonkaney is a Nigerien group founded by Boureima "Disco" -- a singer and composer born in Tahoua in 1967. Gahame Bani (meaning "wellbeing") is their first cassette release.
Most of the songs seem to be sung in the Zarma language -- the leading indigenous language of the southwestern lobe of the West African nation of Niger. Zarma people are descendants of the Songhai people who migrated to the Niger river valley hundreds of years ago. Their culture still resembles that of the Songhai people in Mali, both having very strong musical traditions.
Boureima's music borrows some of that tradition but goes one step further, borrowing some bits from jazz-funk and using a drum machine to create faster complex rhythms. A common theme in those beats is the 6/8 against a 4/4 measure. Another focal point in the "Gahame Bani" record is the super frisky bass guitar!
Lyrics wise, it was difficult to find translations. What I have found is that, in his songs, Boureima praises the solidarity that exists between ethnic groups in Niger. In one song, he sings of women who have the courage of warriors. I imagine the lyrics to also include disturbing matter about Islam and the holy war (hopefully not!).
Track highlights
The tracks "Gahame bani" and "Makabarta" push the rhythm to the extreme with a quick lilt that requires a 24/16 time signature to pull off! The end result is a sick groove that drum machines were never meant to perform! The first time I heard "Makabarta", my body reacted immediately and started twitching and jerking in unexpected visceral ways. The intro to this song is also one-of-a-kind, with the vocals backed only by the bass guitar. "Gahame bani" confused the hell out of me with those slightly off-beat tom-toms intersecting the beat. The hook is super catchy, though, and fun to sing along to.
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"Mouloud" and "Haira" carry another really cool drum groove -- I'm surprised it's not more popular, because it's simple, catchy, and distinctive enough to spawn its own subgenre. In "Mouloud" the beat is neatly sealed by the bass guitar hitting three times on every first measure. Really digging the melodic gentle intro with no drums -- just a few cymbals to give it ambiance. During the verses, I like how Boureima and his ensemble take turns singing. Are they singing about blood? There's a lot of "sangue" that I'm picking up from the lyrics. The breakdown feels amazing after the repetitive refrains have put me in a trance state -- "Ya habibi"! "Haira" sounds like a Mongolian chant. It reminds me of Huun Huur Tu and I imagine it sung with throats.
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Near the end of "Bassi tra y" and "Giambiya", there's a change of tempo and the rhythm breaks down from a 6/16 into an 8/16 boogie. The concluding breaks of "Bassi tra y" put a perfect final touch to the song. "Giambiya" begins with an awesome vocal-lead intro with kick, crash and guitars hitting on every first measure. The unique bass line during the chorus is totally off the charts! It's like something Steve Harris would play in Iron Maiden. The lively horn section that joins in the last part is also a joy to hear!
At least 3 of the songs ("Ethnocentrisme 1&2", "Djivi") seem to be written in the Mixolydian mode, which is typically used in jazz and blues music for improvising over dominants. In the beginning of "Ethnocentrisme" part 1, the bass guitar walks down playfully, like they do in that genre. In part 2, the guitar solo reminds me of Rupa's Disco Jazz! I have yet to hear anything else similar to that unique album.
Most of the tracks in "Gahame Bani" center around just 1 or 2 chords, but you don't need chord progression when you've got melody-rich hypnotic ostinatos. Also, in-between the monotonous parts, Boureima makes sure to include a super catchy proto-chorus that does not repeat even once!
Behind the music
When he was still a schoolboy, Boureima would beat traditional rhythms on empty cans to get his classmates to dance. Before he started singing, he was known throughout Niger for his dancing skills -- whenever he would walk into a party the crowd would call out "Boureima Disco!" -- that's how he got his nickname. He started singing professionally in the late 1990s, when he joined Eric Pancho’s group -- a popular singer at the time. Boureima founded the Super Bonkaney in the beginning of 2000. They say he sings for everyone with great modesty.
The group was very active on Niger’s wedding scene. In 2004 Boureima took the Super Bonkaney on their first international tour, performing throughout Ghana and the Cote D'Ivoire. One morning in November 2018, he decided to quit the music business for good. "This decision comes from God and it is irrevocable". There are 2 more albums out there after "Gahame Bani". The 4th one was complete, but Boureima refused to release it, as it coincided with him quitting music.
Rating: 9/10 disco balls
This album rehabilitates the body and unlocks new neural networks in the brain. For me, it was a gateway drug to Nigerien traditional music. After hearing it, I now have a new way of thinking about rhythm.
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