Glitterbeat Records continues to surprise us with original projects and Fofoulah ("it is there" in Wolof), a London based quintet, definitely fits that description. At the base of Fofoulah's music are the rhythms of the sabar drums, traditional percussion instruments from Gambia and Senegal, about which bassist Johnny Brierley observes: "The rhythms of the drums were essential starting points for our compositions and acted as the building blocks for all the other instruments.". Together with Senegalese singer Biram Seck, Fofoulah already recorded a first six track EP in 2013 ('Bene Bop', Loop Records), but this self-titled debut is the band's first long player. For the vocal parts of the album, Fofoulah invited a number of guest vocalists: Senegalese singer Batch Gueye, hip-hopper Ghostpoet, French-Algerian singer Iness Mezel and Gambian musician Juldeh Camara, who we already knew from his work with JuJu. Mix those voices with Kaw Secka's sabar-percussion, Johnny Brierley's dubby bass lines and the psychedelic synthesizer sounds of Tom Challenger and you have Fofoulah: West Africa like you've never heard it before. Recommended listening!