Artists’ info « Stronghold Sound

Alpha Oumar “Bongo” Sidibe

Alpha Oumar “Bongo” Sidibe is a traditional drummer from Conakry, Guinea in West Africa. He is Musical Director of Duniya Dance and Drum Company and founder and lead singer of the Wontanara Band. Bongo studied drumming with Master Drummer Mamady Keita at his school, Tam Tam Mandigue, Guinea, and participated in his workshops in Conakry and Balandougou, Mamady’s village. He performed with Ballet Jah Karlo in Dakar, Senegal, and recorded the CD “N’dguel Fall” and toured with Orchestre Baye Fall. Before leaving Guinea, he was co-director of Balandougou Kan, a group of traditional percussionists and dancers. Since arriving in the U.S., Bongo has performed with The Grateful Dead, Rhythm Village, Mickey Hart, Joan Baez, and Black Nature from Sierra Leone Refugee Allstars.

Jah Protect My People – Bongo (Snaks dub)
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Audio Refuge Videos…

The release parties were a great success! People came out, there were awesome performances by the bands and artists on the compilation (and even some that aren’t on it). Check out some video that our friends at WEBOS put together from the show at the Blue Macaw…

Interview by WEBOS

Jilali Dawi Hali – The Dunes

Cristofari

Cristofari, born Cristobal Morales Villarroel, has been singing in various venues in Stockholm city among them the Stampen Jazz Club with the Rumbamama project alongside the great congaplayer Williams Cumberbache from Venezuela. His own group, Cristofari and The Fireblazing Band, have been playing at bars in Stockholm, Riga, Latvia and recently Los Angeles and San Francisco.

dj Diet

Daniel is DJ Diet. He has been DJing with only vinyl since 1995. Over the years he has been known as DJ Tanner, Dr. Dan and Faux-J and has provided funky music of all sorts at more than 100 house parties, clubs, school events and even one wedding.

Diet prides himself on his diverse selection, experienced scratching and his ability to get people to dance to music they’ve never heard before.

DJ Diet’s website is at www.danielbackman.com/music.html

dub Snakkr

Prone to late night donut and dub sessions, Snakkr has been workin the wheels of steel at monthlies and one-offs in the SF Bay Area for the past decade after a transplant from the East coast. He’s been a crafter of beats on various electronic doo-dahs and makeshift drumsets since he was a wee lil snakkr and continues to spread the tastiest riddims he can. His sets tend to weave a selection of styles from dub-step, dancehall, roots to cumbia, reggaeton, bhangra, hiphop and more.

Since 2010, Snakkr has been producing projects with local artists in Guinea Conakry. Currently, he’s on a Mid-East beats mission in Beirut, Lebanon where he’s been serving delectables to the dub-step and hip hop scenes.

For mixes and tunes check him out here:
https://strongholdsound.com/2010/02/13/snakr-mixes/

and at: http://www.myspace.com/dubsnakr.

Iggy Mon

Hailing from “the islands” and a crossover to music from the culinary arts, Iggy Mon’s been ripping up the mic at nights across the city including Elbow Room, Som, Etiquette and more. You can catch him at Thursday’s Afroliscious among other nights or check him out online here or on Itunes.

Juan Data

In 2001 Juan Data moved to California to pursue a career in music journalism. With his first paycheck he bought his first set of turntables and started DJing, something he wanted to do for many years but wasn’t able to afford back in his home-town.

Soon he was spinning records in Hollywood venues in between sets during “rock en español” shows, forcing him to expand his musical repertoire in unexpected directions.

Two years later he moved to San Francisco and since then he has been playing, non stop, at house parties, clubs, bars, lounges, restaurants and concert venues all over the city and beyond.

Still a freelance music journalist by day (and a comic book aficionado) Juan Data puts on his wrestler mask by night and transforms into his DJ alter-ego to rock the party with his characteristically eclectic play-list, experimental mixes and outrageous performances.

Check out his website at http://www.djjuandata.com/.

Karamo Susso

Those who were at the show early on Sunday @ Baobob Village were fortunate enough to hear Karamo Susso’s beautiful kora playing. Karamo is from Gambia, West Africa and comes from a long lineage of kora players and we are blessed to have him continuing that tradition here in the Bay.

Hear are a few selections of Karamo’s playing.

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Sekou Balandougou

Born in the village of Balandougou in Guinea, West Africa, Sekou Keita has been steeped in the Manding musical tradition since childhood. During a visit by master drummer, Mamady Keita, Sekou was invited to join Mamady’s school in Conakry where musicians from around the world have learned the tradition of djembe percussion. Sekou, then a young boy, joined Mammady’s school and became one of the central performers there and was soon bestowed with the name of Mammady and Sekou’s home village, Balandougou.

Sekou is not only a talented percussionist, charismatic singer and skilled musical director but he is also a remarkable individual. His love of the folk traditions of the Manding people is evident by the joy he shows in performing and teaching the music. It is a pleasure to hear and be a part of the music he shares.

ARTISTS