Mammane Sani

Mammane Sani Abdullaye's 'La Musique Electronique Du Niger' is a spellbinding side of organ pieces written and released on cassette in 1978 and plucked from obscurity a few years back by Sahel Sounds' Christopher Kirkley. Born to a relatively well-to-do family in Niger, Mammane was previously a UNESCO functionary and during one of his meetings came in contact with a Rwandan delegate with his Italian "Orlo" organ. He managed to persuade the delegate to sell it and came into possession of the first electronic instrument in Niger, soon starting to write interpretations of Niger folklore classics using its warbly, woozy timbre. The results were released in an edition of 100 tapes with help from the ministry of culture yet slipped into obscurity despite Mammane becoming one of the country's leading composers for TV and Radio. Now over 30 years old, they form a hazy and elegantly driving body of 8-bit audio soundscapes; a set of bizarre and dusty mirages recalling early computer game soundtracks and sonically located somewhere between a rudimentary Frances Bebey and the Heatsick's casio meditations. Proceeds from this release will go towards getting Mammane a new computer and software, and we can't wait to hear what he makes with them.