Super Cayor De Dakar

Mapate ‘James’ Gadiaga (b. 15 January 1950, Thies, Senegal; lead vocals), Birane ‘Mbol’ Cisse (b. 1 January 1957, Tasset Ouoloff, Senegal; rhythm guitar), Alioune Ndaw (b. 11 April 1974, Dakar, Senegal; keyboards), Ousmane Diaw (b. 23 April 1969, Saint Louis, Senegal; bass), Fata ‘Pascal’ Dieng (b. 1950, Ngnibi, Senegal; vocals), Abdoulaye Lo (b. 12 September 1977, Pikine, Senegal; drums), Faly Faye (b. 12 April 1977, Thies, Senegal; percussion), Silvain Degue (b. 20 February 1965, Thies, Senegal; lead guitar). Formed on 17 March 1992 by Gadiaga, a veteran of many bands including Xalam and Star Band, and Cisse, who had previously run his own band and electronic repair shop (both called Dakar Performance Electronique) plus a group of young musicians originally hailing from the town of Thies. Super Cayor play in the salsa-mbalax style, mixing the Cuban sounds that were a huge influence on modern Senegalese music with the traditional rhythms of Senegal. Along with artists such as Africando and Pape Fall they have helped to create a renewed interest in salsa among Senegalese music fans and have become a popular live attraction in their own country. Sopente, their international debut, showcases the band’s mix of Latin rhythms and tough Senegalese percussion. Four of the tracks from this album also appear on the compilation African Salsa, released in 1998 by the Earthworks label.