After working with Manu Dibango, Salif Keïta, Richard Bona, Mory Kante, Alpha Blondy, Cesaria Evora, Hank Jones, Cheick Tidiane Seck, and his duet album with Janice DeRosa, Djeli launches his first solo album ! An urban griot (African Storyteller) with a rock edge, Djeli Moussa Conde sings about peace and his hope for mankind through revolutionary lyrics.
Born in Guinea Conakry, from a griots’ family, Djeli Moussa Conde learns from a young age the art of singing and playing the kora. During four years, Master Lamine Sissoko teaches him the kora and his country’s musical culture. Djeli shows some great talent and is awarded the diploma of participation by Unesco at the first Kora festival of West Africa in Conakry. He already shows some early signs of being a great composer. He then decides to hit the road, following his own adventure and personal journey during several years throughout West Africa.
Whilst staying in Abidjan he is spotted by Souleyman Koly and becomes composer-songwriter for the Abidjan Koteba (Souleyman Koly) ensemble with whom he goes on prestigious international tours between 1989 and 1993. At the same time he composes four pieces for Waramba, the first Manding opera which received an award at the Avignon Festival in 1993.
Djeli then settles in Paris in 1993. He is helped by Bernadette Laffont and the charity ” Musiciens Sans Frontieres” (Musicians Without Boundaries) to gain the right to stay in France. Djeli then starts working with musicians such as Manu Dibango (Wakafrica), Salif Keita, Richard Bona (Kalaban koro), Mory Kante, Alpha Blondy, Césaria Evora, Hank Jones, Cheick Tidiane Seck (Sarala), Sekouba Bambino (Le destin, Sinikan…), Mangala (Réexpedition), Amy Koïta…
He contributes with his kora and his powerful voice on their albums and follows these artists on their French and International tours. As an activist, he takes part in many charity gigs in cause of French and international humanitarian activities (French Secours Populaire, UNESCO, Musiciens Sans Frontieres, etc.)
In 1998, he is asked to perform at the World Voice Festival in Rio. In July 2002, Djeli meets queen of the Blues, Janice DeRosa. They record together on the album ADUNA released in 2003. He also records with Paul Mindy the “Comptines et Berceuses du Baobab” (Baobab’s nursery rhymes and lullabies). Djeli focuses next on creating a repertoire very popular with the parisian audience.
In 2010 he meets Vincent Lassalle who offers to produce Djeli’s next album. Djeli then concentrates on a long and assiduous period of composition which produces the self- named album “Djeli”, fully recorded in Menilmontant, the parisian district closed to his heart. It is through a wide musical repertoire that Djeli thus launches a very personal project. Bass, percussions and machines’ set, Manding flute and flute, all collaborate to create tribal and modern sonorities mixing pop music’s nuances, Moorish vibes with a tinge of electro…
Crédit Photo – Sylvia Vasseur