Cheikh Lô is one of the great mavericks of African music. A superb singer, guitarist, and percussionist he has created his sound, an evolution of Senegalese mbalax, the intricate dance music of Senegal, by incorporating a variety of West African music.
Lô dedicates both his life and music to Baye Fall, a specifically Senegalese form of Islam. It’s a part of the larger Islamic brotherhood of Mouridism which was established by Bamba (Cheikh Ahmadou Bamba M’Becke) at the end of the 19th century. Bamba’s closest disciple Cheikh Ibra Fall established the Baye Fall movement. Lo’s own visual style is inspired by the Baye Fall trademarks - patchwork clothes and long dreadlocks.
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