Baba Commandant and The Mandingo Band with DJ Psychic Sounds

Burkina Faso’s Baba Commandant and The Mandingo Band bring their non-stop Afro-beat hit parade to SPACE on their first ever U.S. tour — presented by the legendary archivists of Sublime Frequencies. 

Baba Commandant makes his long-awaited debut on the American stage on the success of his latest record with The Mandingo Band — Sonbonbela, the third LP released by Sublime Frequencies with the band, recorded in 2022 in the West African nation of Burkina Faso. The group continue to hone their trademark fusion of traditional Mandingue music and contemporary afro-beat styles. The Mandingo Band are a hit machine, creating one of the most original and propulsive musical statements to come from the vibrant contemporary West African cultural scene. Across seven sculpted new tracks, they play with near-Captain Beefheart/Magic Band dynamics and Fela Kuti-inspired grooves dusted out in the Sahel zone. 

As with previous releases, the band features the legendary guitar pyrotechnics of Issouf Diabate, truly one of the greatest West African (or Earth-bound, for that matter) guitarists of the last half century. The band is completed by a near bottomless barrel of artistry from the Ouagadougou and Bobo Dioulasso musical talent pool. On bass guitar, it’s Wendeyida Ouedraogo, on drums Abbas Kabore, and on percussion and balafon, Nickie Dembele. Leading the charge again is the captain himself, the enigmatic Mamadou Sanou (aka Baba Commandant) on the Doso Ngoni, and fronting the band, with one of the most distinctive voices of the modern era. While the banal trends of auto-tune have pervaded much of the world’s popular music, Baba’s natural voice still impresses with its gravel and grit, showcasing a range that is ancient and defiant in equal measure. 

This new LP and the power of the band’s live concerts showcase a non-stop hit parade of afro-beat bangers destined to light dance floors and living rooms ablaze! Get ready… 

Sublime Frequencies is an independent record label run by recordist and filmmaker Hisham Mayet and musician Alan Bishop (Sun City Girls). They describe themselves as “a collective of explorers dedicated to acquiring and exposing obscure sights and sounds from modern and traditional urban and rural frontiers.” In obtaining this goal, they have released everything from field recordings of Rajasthani street music and Vietnamese radio transmissions to Ethiopian tribal music and Malaysian pop. Even in a roster filled with truly unique and worldview-expanding music, Baba Commandant and The Mandingo Band stands out as a truly one-of-a-kind group, melting minds both live and in the studio.