Falle Nioke and sir Was share new single

By Christopher Brown

On April 21, 2021

In News

FALLE NIOKE & SIR WAS

SHARE “WONAMA YO EMA”

MARASI EP

RELEASED 30TH APRIL 2021

ON PRAH RECORDINGS

FALLE NIOKE recently announced details of a brand new EP, entitled MARASI and released 30th April on PRAH Recordings. It’s a collaboration with sir Was(Joel Wästberg), and the duo have just shared a brand new track.“”Wonama Yo Ema” means “do not look down on people.” If you help someone who is poor or in need, don’t judge them or spoil their name in the community”– Falle Nioke

“Wonama Yo Ema” is sung in Susu, just one of the seven languages spoken by Falle Nioke. It follows the success of “Rain“, described as“soothing and gorgeous” by The Guardian last month.

The two musicians knew little about each other when they met at PRAH Studios in Margate, with Swedish producer Wästberg having heard just a 30 second snippet of the Guinean’s vocals played through a phone speaker. “We met, said hi and pretty much just started to jam straight away”, he explains.

“Falle was singing and playing the Gongoma. His voice was powerful and at the same time very soft and fragile, rich and full of overtones. It filled the room. I was behind a drum kit and from there we started making music together. To me it felt like neither of us really knew what the other one was expecting from this session. A walk into the unknown that would become the Marasi EP”

MARASI EP TRACKLISTING

Rain

Love

Wonama yo ema

N’kanu

FALLE NIOKE is a singer and percussionist from Guinea Conakry, West Africa. Youkounkoun is the name of his village, where the Coniagui tribe live. Their language is also called Coniagui. Additionally, he sings in French, English, Susu, Fulani and Malinke, and plays a range of African instruments to accompany his voice (gongoma, Bolon, Cassi).Since arriving in the UK three years ago, after a period travelling around West Africa, singing with a troupe of musicians and learning different cultural rhythms, the 34 year old has been making music with a number of producers, including Johan Hugo, Congo Natty, sir Was and Ghost Culture. His live solo show is a soulful performance of his own creation in a traditional African style, although often performs with Alabaster De Plume, Congo Natty and the band Soma World.

Last year, Falle Nioke built on his significant fan base in Guinea by signing to London label PRAH Recordings to release Youkounkoun, a collaboration with Ghost Culture. The release earned mass critical acclaim and spawned three A Listed singles at BBC Radio 6 Music.

Joel Wästberg aka SIR WAS grew up in the tiny village of Frillesås on the western coast of Sweden, an hour or so from Gothenburg. He began playing music at 6 years old, learning the piano, bass, guitar and drums. He performed as part of the backing bands for Jose Gonzales and Junip, before embarking on a more personal musical adventure with sir Was’ debut album Digging A Tunnel (2017), selected by Lauren Laverne as her Album of the Year, and an acclaimed follow-up Holding On To A Dream (which featured a guest spot from Little Dragon).

“Rain” https://youtu.be/k5rXt2gxR0w