SIX SHOOTER MANAGEMENT WELCOMES N'FAMADY KOUYATÉ
WEST AFRICA MEETS WALES IN N'FAMADY'S MUSIC
NEWLY ANNOUNCED BALAFÔ DOUMA UK TOUR IN FALL 2022
Photo Credit: Andrew Lewis/JMP
Six Shooter Inc. (management company) welcomes N’famady Kouyaté to the artist roster, managed by Chris Wynters. Originally from Guinea, now based in Wales, N’famady’s dazzling balafon playing is the foundation of his exuberant and skilful mix of West African Mandingue with jazz, pop and beyond.
N’famady recently announced a substantial UK headline tour in Oct-Nov 2022, which adds to a busy spring and summer festival season. The past year, N’famady has been on a whirlwind breakout trajectory, with buzz, opportunity and excitement for the future.
“I first saw N’famady perform in an online showcase put on by some friends of mine at Focus Wales, a Covid era discovery,” says Wynters. “I was instantly blown away by his skill as a player and his charm as a performer. We met first over Zoom and have now met in person. It was wonderful to finally see him perform live in Glasgow last month, in front of a sold-out crowd at Theatre Royal, part of the excellent programming at Celtic Connections.”
N’famady released his debut EP, Aros I Fi Yna, in June 2021. Recorded in legendary Rockfield Studios, with guest appearances from Gruff Rhys (Super Furry Animals), Lisa Jên Brown (9Bach), and Kliph Scurlock (The Flaming Lips), the debut EP features Kouyaté’s compelling and original mix of traditional Guinean songs with new Welsh lyrics.
N’famady has a new album currently in production, being recorded in Wales and Guinea. Look for N’famady to make his North American debut in 2022.
UPCOMING TOUR DATES
LONDON, UK: Rich Mix, Mar 26
WESTON-SUPER-MARE, UK: Love’s Cafe, Apr 22
SWANSEA, UK: Ty Tawe, May 6
GWYNEDD, UK: Eisteddfod yr Urdd, June 4
PENARTH, UK: St. Augustine’s Parish Hall, June 17
GWYNEDD, UK: Royal Ship Hotel, July 16
GWEHELOG, UK: Big Love Festival, July 17
BARNSLEY, UK: Underneath the Stars, July 29
HOLT, UK: Holt Festival, July 30
CAMBRIDGE, UK: Cambridge Folk Festival, July 31
SIDMOUTH, UK: Sidmouth Folk Festival, Aug 3
DORSET, UK: Purbeck Valley Folk Festival, Aug 19
FAVERSHAM, UK: A New Day Festival, Aug 21
BELFAST, UK: Belfast Mela, Aug 28
BALAFÔ DOUMA TOUR (NEW DATES)
WREXHAM, UK: Ty Pawb, Oct 29
GLASGOW, UK: Hug & Pint, Nov 1
NEWCASTLE, UK: The Cluny, Nov 5
SHIPLEY, UK: The Live Room, Nov 6
LONDON, UK: Paper Dress Vintage, Nov 8
GUILDFORD, UK: The Star Inn, Nov 11
BRIGHTON, UK: The Rose Hill, Nov 12
LIVERPOOL, UK: Liverpool Philharmonic, Nov 15
BURY, UK: Bury Met, Nov 16
BRISTOL, UK: The Jam Jar, Nov 17
BRADFORD ON AVON, UK: Wiltshire Music Centre, Nov 18
CARDIFF, UK: Acapela Studio, Nov 20
BANGOR, UK: Pontio, Nov 25
ABOUT N’FAMADY KOUYATÉ
N’famady Kouyaté is an energetic young master musician from Conakry, Guinea, who relocated to Cardiff, Wales in 2019. A talented multi-instrumentalist, Kouyaté wowed audiences across the UK and Ireland during autumn/winter 2019/20 with his modern interpretations of traditional West African Mandingue songs and rhythms supporting Gruff Rhys on the Pang! album tour. N’famady’s primary instrument is the balafon, the traditional wooden xylophone, sacred to West African culture and his family heritage of the griot/djeli. In Guinea he founded ‘Les Héritiers du Mandingue’ a tradi-modern group that toured extensively in West Africa.
In the UK, N’famady has played both as a solo artist and with a full band line up, where his arrangements are a fusion of Mandingue African with jazz, pop, indie, and funk influences provided by an ever-evolving collective of musicians. Instrumentation includes balafon, keyboards, drumkit, djembe, guitar, bass, kora, doundoun, congas, saxophone, trumpet, & callabash. N’famady’s performances create amazing atmospheres and vibrations wherever he goes, and audiences are charmed by his infectious enthusiasm and joy.