Audio: Andra Kouyaté and Sèkè Chi x Amadou & Mariam 'Lagaré' [Premiere]

Andra Kouyaté, the young gun of a respected griot family, plays the bass n'goni — a mutation of the West African lute that he designed and constructed himself. Flanked by the Sèkè Chi ensemble, Andra is pushing tradional Bamana, Puel and Maninka influences into unexplored sonic grounds. In "Lagaré" he's joined by Malian duo Amadou & Mariam for a hazy, syncopated-beat mediation carried by string arpeggios. It's far from traditional griot music but retains its nomadic essence. Stream "Lagaré" below, you can find the track on Andra Kouyaté and Sèkè Chi's upcoming album Saro, out July 31 via Studio Mali.