Mamman Sani is a Nigerien-Ghanaian musician. He first recorded his electronic organ music in 1978 but it remained largely obscure and undiscovered until 2013.[1] He is considered to be an early pioneer of synth music in Niger.[2] Sani found unlikely fame in Denmark, regularly appearing in the playlist of Copenhagen bars.

Early life

In 1952, Mamman Sani was born in Accra to a privileged family. His father, of Nigerien descent, was the son of a World War I Colonel. Sani's mother was Ghanaian and the daughter of a chief.[3][4] At the end of the 1950s his family moved to Niger, where his father became a librarian for the American Cultural Center, which gave him exposure to cultural materials from all over the world.[1]

Musical career

Sani began to play music in 1968. He was a fan of Otis Redding, James Brown, and Percy Sledge.[3] After being an English teacher for some years, he got a job as a UNESCO functionary. In his role at UNESCO, Sani began to travel internationally.[4] During a UNESCO meeting, Mamman purchased an Italian Orla electronic organ from a delegate from Rwanda.[4][5]

His first professional experience as a musician was being hired by Niger's national television station to compose credits and interludes for their shows.[3][6] At the time, Sani was still employed by UNESCO.

In 1978 he recorded his first album at Niger National Radio in two takes. It was released as a limited series of cassettes.[4]

In 2013, Christopher Kirkley, an American musician and producer with a specialty in Sahelian music, discovered Mamman's recordings while searching through the musical archives of the Niamey museum.[3] Kirkley described hearing Mamman's music: “It was esoteric and bizarre, unlike anything I had ever heard—the imaginary audio track to an arcade game of desert caravans trek through an pastoral landscape of 8-bit acacias and pixelized sand.”[2] That year Kirkley released the recordings through his Portland-based record label Sahel Sounds, as "La Musique Electronique du Niger".[1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Sunken Treasure: Mammane Sani Abdoulaye's 'La Musique Électronique du Niger'". The Irish Times. Retrieved 2023-03-18.
  2. 1 2 "9 Albums That Will Change the Way You Think About African Music". Paste Magazine. Retrieved 2023-03-18.
  3. 1 2 3 4 magazine, Le Point (2016-07-27). "Musique: Mamman Sani et son orgue ressortent des limbes du Niger". Le Point (in French). Retrieved 2023-03-18.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Mamman Sani - Artist Page". Sahel Sounds. Retrieved 2023-03-18.
  5. ↑ "Mamman Sani Abdoulaye Took Nigerien Music Into the Future". Bandcamp Daily. 2022-05-26. Retrieved 2023-03-18.
  6. ↑ "Sahel Sounds: Music From 21st-Century West Africa". Pitchfork. 18 February 2016. Retrieved 2023-03-18.
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