(headline image: N’famady Kouyaté – Photo by Nadine Ballantyne)
N’famady Kouyaté, a master musician from Conakry, Guinea, relocated to Cardiff, Wales, in 2019. A skilled multi-instrumentalist, he gained recognition across the UK and Ireland in 2019-2020, performing modern interpretations of traditional West African Manding songs and rhythms while supporting Gruff Rhys on the Pang! album tour. Kouyaté’s primary instrument is the balafon, a traditional wooden xylophone significant in West African culture and his family’s griot heritage. In Guinea, he founded ‘Les Héritiers du Mandingue,’ a tradi-modern group that toured extensively in West Africa.
In the UK, Kouyaté has performed both solo and with a full band, mixing Manding African music with western jazz, pop, indie, and funk. His band features diverse instrumentation, including balafon, keyboards, drum kit, jembe, guitar, bass, kora, dundun, congas, saxophone, trumpet, and calabash. Kouyaté’s performances are known for their vibrant atmosphere and his infectious enthusiasm.
Kouyaté released his first EP, Aros I Fi Yna, in July 2021, recorded at Rockfield Studios with a full band and guest appearances from Gruff Rhys (Super Furry Animals), Lisa Jên Brown (9Bach), and Kliph Scurlock (The Flaming Lips). The EP combines traditional Guinean songs with new Welsh lyrics and a mix of modern and traditional instrumentation, played by a ten-piece band. He has a growing fanbase in both the UK and West Africa.
During the 2020 lockdown, Kouyaté participated in several online events, including DarloDrum Fest, Ara Deg festival, Out Of Focus Wales, and Gwyl 2021 festival, primarily performing solo due to COVID-19 restrictions. He managed one socially distanced full band performance at Butetown Carnival in Cardiff Bay in September 2020, with special guest Gruff Rhys. In summer 2021, Kouyaté’s band performed at the Wales Millennium Centre, Llangollen Fringe Festival, and headlined the Chai Wallah stage at Green Man Festival. The summer of 2022 saw him at numerous UK and Northern Ireland festivals, including Cambridge Folk Fest and Belfast Mela.
In October and November 2022, Kouyaté embarked on his first nationwide UK tour, supported by the PRS Foundation’s Momentum grant.
In 2024 N’famady Kouyaté was selected to perform at the Horizons Regional Stage in Manchester during influential world music showcase WOMEX.
Discography:
Aros I Fi Yna EP (Libertino Records, 2021)
Author: Iliana Cabrera
