LISTEN: Wau Wau Collectif’s “Oh Africa!” Creates a Kaleidoscope of Musical Cultures
The project known as Wau Wau Collectif began as the brainchild of Arouna Kane and Karl-Jonas Winquist in the coastal town of Toubab Dialaw, Senegal. Starting in 2018, the two musicians developed the group. . .
The project known as Wau Wau Collectif began as the brainchild of Arouna Kane and Karl-Jonas Winquist in the coastal town of Toubab Dialaw, Senegal. Starting in 2018, the two musicians developed the group through a combination of swapping MP3s and incorporating friends until they had material for an album and a collective of 26 songwriters and musicians across a wide cultural spectrum. Their recent touring band consisted of three Senegalese members and three Swedish members (and a driver who was French). Wau Wau Collectif released the first of what they consider to be a trilogy of albums,Yaral Sa Doom, in 2021. Mariagefollowed in 2022, and now the band is set to release its third record,Teranga. Teranga is a Wolof word that means welcome or hospitality and seems significant, concluding a trilogy of albums put out by a cross-cultural endeavor. “Oh Africa!” is the second single from the album (the title track was released at the end of July), and it makes a compelling description of the band’s sound. Set on a modal jam, the song is a kaleidoscopic display of instruments ranging from guitar to flute to ngoni to calabash percussion to what sounds like an omnichord. Hearing it isn’t like listening to a traditional song structure, but more like hearing a soundscape shift, sway, and evolve over the course of almost three and a half minutes. The polyrhythms and harmonic textures ensure this song survives multiple listens.