Donal Dineen’s Sunken Treasure: Nouakchott Wedding Songs

I really wish it weren’t so, but soldiers on the ground such as Christopher Kirkley and his wonderful Sahel label never make the headlines or the halls of fame at musical award ceremonies. Don’t let that stop you checking out his rich back catalogue, however.Treat yourself to the treasures he has unearthed. They are a joy.

All the seats at the captain’s table are occupied with the peddlers of the bland noise that give lift tannoys and supermarket stereos a bad name. Pop rules the airwaves with an iron fist and it stinks. The pollution is so pervasive, we’ve become immune to it and that’s a tragedy because senses are being dulled as the lowest common denominator pounds us into submission.

Both the music and radio industries are sinking fast but still they cling to each other in a kind of mutual death grip. In so doing they simply accelerate their own demise. It’s part of the charade where the unusual and interesting are consigned to the margins while all manner of dross swamps the mainstream.

‘Everything is wrong’

Speaking of lunatics, perhaps the only truth Moby ever uttered was the phrase “everything is wrong”. He got that bit right, if he was referring to the derivative drivel that is is own music or, more importantly, to the way so little attention is paid to the rich tapestry of sounds the likes of Sahel produce with painstaking dedication.

Although musically he is anything but right himself, at least he has enough gumption to admit the formulaic way radio is programmed continues to popularise the easily digestible pap to the detriment of anything unique or different no matter how good.

It’s only a guess on my part but I am assuming the lack of recognition means little or nothing to the venerable Mr Kirkley. He’s too busy spreading his wings and digging deep to notice. The range and quality of his output is staggering, The manner in which he goes deep into the field to record this vibrant music is highly commendable. He brings all the colour to the dullest of bigger pictures.

If right was right he’d have an Adele-size load of Grammys in recognition of his sterling work, but that would involve music programmers stepping outside their comfort zone. Let’s face it, when your desk is furnished with an endless supply of derivative nonsense from the record companies connected to the mainstream, the urge to cast the net wider diminishes.

I was going to say what a shame that is, but it’s more of a scandal really considering how great the alternative can be. Kirkley’s work collecting and recording the sounds of the vast Sahel region that spans middle Africa he conducts with vocational zeal and a very obvious deep love for the music that makes his label a repository of exceptional sounds and good taste. The love he invests in his releases is rarely reciprocated.

Upset the relatives

One recent example highlights the situation. Kirkley embedded himself in Nouakchott, the capital of Mauritania, to record wedding music. Unlike the scene here in Ireland, where we tend to keep things bland enough so as not to upset the relatives or shock the neighbours, Mauritanian wedding music is where the traditional meets the modern in a raucous amalgamation of rhythmic sounds. It’s a very beautiful noise. There’s a whole lot of shaking going on. The sound is untamed and gloriously celebratory. This music is teeming with energy and life. Traditional lutes clash with modified guitars and all manner of percussion to whip up a kind of storm that is unique to my ears. The deep grooves that dominate proceedings wouldn’t get a look-in at our western celebrations simply because their raw power might ruin someone’s big day.

We consider ourselves sophisticated yet we can't seem to shake the unedifying spectre of Rock the Boat. Time someone tipped the boat over. There are far greater things in life,