Leila Gobi has faced challenges to reach her career path. Family, gender, and as an artist from provincial Menaka near Gao, it was tough to break into the tightly knit music community in the capitol, Bamako. Despite these challenges, Leila?s talent brought her recognition and she became a sought-after backup vocalist for many great musicians in Mali. She formed her own group in 2010 and has released two albums in Mali.
In addition to having performed extensively, Leila has toured the sub-Saharan region performing in Niger, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Guinea, and Senegal. In September 2013, she performed in North America as one of the musicians presented by Clermont Music in its Festival au Desert /Caravan for Peace tour.
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CLE 019LP
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LP version. Standing beside the Niger River esplanade in downtown, Bamako Leila Gobi waves to people in the passing cars. She smiles and laughs with them. Walking down the street she is greeted warmly by strangers. From the distant provincial city Menaka, she has become a successful artist here in the capitol of Mali. 2017 is Leila Gobi's second album on Clermont Music. It was recorded in Hampathe Bah Studio, on the second floor of a group of buildings off the main road in a suburb of western Bamako. The sessions were intimate. The tracks were laid without effects, clean. Leila wanted to produce an album that brought a new dimension to her music. The problem was how to create this new sound with only the basic tools available in Mali. It is almost impossible for musicians there to find the equipment available to the average westerner. The talent is there, just not the hardware. And electric power failures and poor communications infrastructure interrupt regularly. The final sounds were found in the studio while mixing in the synthesizers and electronic effects. Tracks were mixed and mastered in Bamako, New York, and Los Angeles. Remaining faithful to the underlying roots of the music, 2017 bridges genres. The album forges the origins of trance, beats, and loops with new technology, a fusion of many influences. And across it all, Leila Gobi's unmistakable voice shines through. Personnel: Leila Walet Gobi - vocals; Khalil M. Touré - guitars; Amadou Dembélé - bass; Abdourhamane Salaha - calabash, conga, percussion.
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CLE 019CD
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Standing beside the Niger River esplanade in downtown, Bamako Leila Gobi waves to people in the passing cars. She smiles and laughs with them. Walking down the street she is greeted warmly by strangers. From the distant provincial city Menaka, she has become a successful artist here in the capitol of Mali. 2017 is Leila Gobi's second album on Clermont Music. It was recorded in Hampathe Bah Studio, on the second floor of a group of buildings off the main road in a suburb of western Bamako. The sessions were intimate. The tracks were laid without effects, clean. Leila wanted to produce an album that brought a new dimension to her music. The problem was how to create this new sound with only the basic tools available in Mali. It is almost impossible for musicians there to find the equipment available to the average westerner. The talent is there, just not the hardware. And electric power failures and poor communications infrastructure interrupt regularly. The final sounds were found in the studio while mixing in the synthesizers and electronic effects. Tracks were mixed and mastered in Bamako, New York, and Los Angeles. Remaining faithful to the underlying roots of the music, 2017 bridges genres. The album forges the origins of trance, beats, and loops with new technology, a fusion of many influences. And across it all, Leila Gobi's unmistakable voice shines through. Personnel: Leila Walet Gobi - vocals; Khalil M. Touré - guitars; Amadou Dembélé - bass; Abdourhamane Salaha - calabash, conga, percussion.
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