Garba Touré of Songhoy Blues innovates with new guitar style

When Songhoy Blues burst onto the global music scene in 2015 with the release of Music In Exile, they not only established themselves as a powerful force in the world of desert blues but also emerged as a poignant voice of defiance in a country grappling with social turmoil. Originating from Diré, near Timbuktu in northern Mali, guitarist Garba Touré, like many others, was compelled to flee his home in 2012 amid the brutal ascendancy of extremist factions that forbade music, considering it a transgression. Settling in Mali’s bustling capital, Bamako, Garba joined forces with Aliou and Oumar Touré to establish Songhoy Blues. By harmonizing their native musical heritage with influences from Western rock, they crafted an electrifying sound which they used as a platform to advocate for optimism and solidarity.

Garba Touré’s early use of tools to modify the guitar’s sound contributed significantly to creating a vibrant on-stage presence. Armed with a Fender Stratocaster, a Gibson SG, a combination of Vox and Fender amplifiers, and an array of effects pedals such as distortion, reverb, delay, chorus, overdrive, and wah-wah, he curated a distinct sonic identity for the band. Chest-thumping about their genre-defying approach, Garba articulates, “We’re an African band who make hard rock. If you listen to Malian music before Songhoy Blues, you’d never hear anyone do this. It’s like a little Foo Fighters or maybe a little Rolling Stones from Mali.” Embracing the guitar lineage passed down by his father, a percussionist for Malian guitar legend Ali Farka Touré, Garba’s musical appetite was whetted by luminaries like Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Eric Clapton, and Jimmy Page. His immersion continued with influences from genres including blues, rock, and country, heightened by the kinship he felt with Malian pioneers such as Mama Sissoko and Baba Salah, and legends from Congo and Guinea like Diblo Dibala and Sékou ‘Bembeya’ Diabaté.

Garba Touré’s innovative flair for blending the raw essence of African rock with classic rock undertones resulted in his hallmark style of “African rock, African roll.” However, on their latest release, Héritage, Songhoy Blues clocks a daring departure from their customary electric sound in favor of more conventional acoustic textures. “We tried to be really simple this time,” Garba notes. “No distortion, no overdrive and no drum kit.” The album showcases a rearrangement of Malian instrumentalists and serves as a heartfelt homage to traditional musicianship, featuring instruments like kora (harp), soku (one-string fiddle), kamale ngoni (8-string youth harp), flute, balafon (gourd-resonated xylophone), and rustic calabash percussion. This authentic and stripped-back approach encapsulates the band’s commitment to revering the ancestral musical legacies of Mali.

Songhoy Blues’ transformative journey from rebels of the electric to champions of the acoustic illustrates their unwavering dedication to redefining the African rock narrative. By melding disparate sounds and cultural contexts, Garba Touré and his bandmates exemplify the epitome of musical evolution and cross-cultural innovation. As they continue to traverse uncharted territories and bridge musical divides, Songhoy Blues stand tall as pioneers of a new era, profoundly reshaping the sonic landscape of today’s global music scene.