Siri Karlsson - Hey Solo (Tombola)

The Slow Music Movement
May 12
1 min read

Siri Karlsson are Maria Arnqvist (saxophone, synths, voice) and Cecilia Österholm (key fiddle, synths, voice), an intriguing, shapeshifting Swedish duo with a fondness for genre melting fusions - psychedelic, avant-garde Afropop anyone? Their latest incarnation sees them teaming up with Solo Dja Kabaco, a blind guitar player/singer from Burkina Faso to bring the riches of African music to the north of Europe.

Starting with a phone call between Sweden and Burkina Faso the track starts with some laid back beats that anchor a hip hop hook, Morricone like atmospherics and a simple strummed motif that paves the way for the distinctive, husky tones of Kabaco's worldly wise voice, augmented by the girls on backing vocals. An electric guitar breakdown gives us a quick breather to soak it all up, but hold tight things are about to get hectic. A driving sax refrain signals this is a song of two halves, as the African percussion rolls in to get the party started. Kabaco gives a hearty laugh at the thought of the Swedes trying to get down to this funktified groove and polyrhythmic percussion, before displaying his full vocal range from that familiar first half vocal refrain that joins the arrangement dots, to urgent yells, spoken words and insistent scatting. Party on; Siri Karlsson's new live show finale is here.