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PREORDER
Ships When IN STOCK.
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ARTIST
TITLE
Yenbett
FORMAT
LP
LABEL
CATALOG #
GB 177LP
GB 177LP
GENRE
RELEASE DATE
11/7/2025
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LP version. A voice, timeless as the desert, swirls up like the sirocco, drenched in cavernous reverberation, accompanied by the solitary, meditative swells of the ardine, an acoustic harp that dials in the fundamental frequency of Noura Mint Seymali's music. A brief pause, and the same refrain returns, this time picked out on a heavily flanged electric guitar, grounded by thunderous drums and growling electric bass. And there's that voice again -- direct and urgent, careening off into wild ululations and refracted echo. That's the opening two tracks on Yenbett, the brand-new album by Mauritanian force of nature, Noura Mint Seymali. In just under four and a half minutes, these two versions of the song "Lehjibb" set the tone for what's to come -- a trance-inducing and ferociously evocative blend of ancient Northwest African musical tradition and searing, electrified Saharan future rock. Noura Mint Seymali is a living embodiment of musical tradition. She hails from a family of musical visionaries: her father, Seymali Ould Ahmed Vall, was a renowned composer and scholar and her stepmother, Dimi Mint Abba, was a cherished singer and performer. Seymali is a practicing griot -- equal parts poet, singer, musician, historian and cultural custodian -- and a living embodiment of Mauritania's tradition of Moorish griot music. "The griot are highly respected lineages in our culture and are a source of social cohesion and social history that endures," Seymali explains. "We are still a kind of mirror for society, reflecting back the social bonds and history to the people. It's still the griot who are the artist celebrants of traditional weddings and ceremonies. And it's still griot representing the culture as artist ambassadors." In this role, Seymali performs as a powerful vocalist with both a deep connection to the griot's timeless repertoire, and an urge to create fresh, contemporary messages. Rounding out the band are bassist Ousmane Touré, and on drums Matthew Tinari -- an American who has resided in Senegal for many years. Tinari also co-produced the album, together with Mikey Coltun, best known as bassist with Tuareg rock pioneers Mdou Moctar. It's no surprise, then, that Yenbett smolders with a languid fire comparable to the desert blues played by West African groups such as Mdou Moctar. Certainly, Seymali can see a connection between the blues and West African music. "It's sewn from the same cloth," she says.
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