NUM055
Album cover

Bobo Yéyé

Belle Époque in Upper Volta

From his studio in central Bobo-Dioulasso, West African photographer Sory Sanlé documented a nation's transformation from colonial foothold to cosmopolitan oasis. Captured on on 6x6 medium format Rolleiflex SL66, Sanlé’s keen eye provides an intimate look into the landlocked nation’s pop culture explosion of the 1970s, through changing hair and fashion, hats and sunglasses, swords and boomboxes, motorcycles and cars, the traditional and modern. A melange of community elders and emboldened youth spill from the brightly lit confines of Sanlé’s Volta Photo into the dimly lit nightclubs of Upper Volta's cultural capital, all compiled in a 120-page hardbound book. Bookending this coffee table worthy black and white monograph are multiple essays, 28 battered sleeves, and a complete pre-revolution discography. Draped in colorful Voltaic patterns are three accompanying discs, with dozens of rare and evocative recordings by Bobo-Dioulasso’s musical titans: Volta Jazz, Dafra Star, Echo Del Africa, Coulibaly Tidiane, and Les Imbattables Léopards, all darting in and out of Afro-funk, French yeye, and American R&B while still maintaining a grip on their pre-colonial heritage.

  • 3xLP + Book

    3 140g LPs
    3 single LP tip-on jackets
    1 152-page 12.5" x 12.5" hard cover book featuring 108 pages of photographs on high gloss paper
    1 wrapped slipcase

Track List

  1. Volta Jazz Air Volta
  2. Volta Jazz Bi Kameleou
  3. Volta Jazz Fitri Mawaly
  4. Volta Jazz Djougou Toro
  5. Volta Jazz BB Peyrissac
  6. Volta Jazz Mama Soukous
  7. Volta Jazz Fintalabo
  8. Volta Jazz Wêrê Wêrê Magne
  9. Volta Jazz Nâgô Fâla
  10. Volta Jazz Mousso Koroba Tike
  11. Volta Jazz Dounya Te Soyé
  12. Volta Jazz Beni Djarabi
  13. Volta Jazz Chérie Nawa
  14. Volta Jazz Ma Douce Ledy
  15. Volta Jazz Djougou Malola
  16. Volta Jazz Na Dalo
  17. Coulibaly Tidiane & Dafra Star De Nwolo
  18. Coulibaly Tidiane & Dafra Star Sie Koumgolo
  19. Coulibaly Tidiane & Dafra Star Dounian
  20. Coulibaly Tidiane & Dafra Star Si Tu Maime
  21. Coulibaly Tidiane & Dafra Star Tjiranama
  22. Coulibaly Tidiane & Dafra Star Yafamma
  23. Coulibaly Tidiane & Dafra Star Foli
  24. Coulibaly Tidiane & Dafra Star Ram Passomayé
  25. Coulibaly Tidiane & Dafra Star Bombossi
  26. Coulibaly Tidiane & Dafra Star Sondja Magni
  27. Coulibaly Tidiane & Dafra Star Limaniya
  28. Echo Del Africa Gentlemen Doromina
  29. Les Imbattables Léopards Bissongo Lebguinw
  30. Les Imbattables Léopards Dja Tigui Kie
  31. Les Imbattables Léopards Milaoba
  32. Echo Del Africa Yiri Wah
  33. Les Imbattables Léopards Néné
  34. Ouedraogo Youssef He Ya Wannan
  35. Idy Oldrissa Arindo
  36. Les Imbattables Léopards Ne Toumdé
  37. Les Imbattables Léopards Boudou Nyida