The music of DAOUDA DIABATÉ requires no decoding. It speaks directly through rhythm, roots and the voice of ancestors. It is the manifestation of the ancient Dialy tradition embodied in a modern sound. His work carries the legacy of generations. He absorbed music from birth like breath and today creates it with a mission, both spiritual and humanitarian.

With DAOUDA DIABATÉ we speak about how he turns the rich cultural heritage of Africana into a universal language of modern music, why Vielha became his point of support, how the inner world of a musician sounds when he carries responsibility and service, personal and collective. This honest conversation is about culture, continuity and the power of music to be a bridge between worlds.

What does “abedical” mean to you personally, beyond the literal translation?

ABBHEDICAL, for me, means the best of all that I can offer to humanity. In terms of musical concept, it’s a music from my tradition that I’ve adapted to the register of modern music, in order to communicate universally with today’s modern musicians. 

When did you first feel that you fully embraced being a Dialy — by both birth and spirit?

We are born Dialy. We don’t become Dialys; we are born ones. It’s passed down from generation to generation. However, you can become a musician, but you cannot become a Dialy. The Dialy heritage is the glorious memory of the great African civilizations before Africa’s contact with the Western world.

For my part, I was born into these families and I was exposed to sounds from birth, because my grandparents played music at home. 

You’ve collaborated with many musicians; what’s the one universal musical language you think everyone speaks?

You know, music is rhythm and melody. In Africa, we lived with rhythms, before the conception of the seven musical scales, which became the common codes for all modern musicians.

In Africa, rhythms are the basis of connection between musicians, and when we want to make music to share with other cultures that are not from the continent, we must adapt it to the degrees that govern the universal scales, which are the seven notes of music from C to B. 

What was the first lesson your family taught you about music that you still follow today?

The first lessons my family taught me about music

Because being a Dialy and a musician is not just about the spiritual gift or talent one possesses, it’s also about giving joy and pleasure to healthy people and assisting the afflicted by strengthening them in their sadness and pain, and supporting them in their daily lives while being a role model who illuminates the path for people throughout their pilgrimage on this earthly space.

I remember my grandfather, sitting under a tree, telling me that simplicity and humility must be a good mount to face the storms and the changing cycles that undermine space and time, because power and success are ephemeral.

The Dialy was born to remain in history, the vehicle and support that must make it eternal and captivate the soul with its voice and music. For this reason, I named my music group TOUBAMBA, which means that everything has an end in life. 

Why did you choose Spain, and specifically Vielha, as the place to develop your musical career?

You know, I’m a musician. I go wherever my artistic services are needed. I chose Spain and Vielha for family reasons. I also love the peace and quiet of the mountains, which allows me to connect with nature and create songs.

I’ve always lived in close contact with nature. 

What’s harder: maintaining tradition or pushing musical boundaries?

Maintaining tradition isn’t difficult for me, because I herited it in my blood, and I’m in touch with Africa. I go to Africa every year for a few months to do solidarity projects with my humanitarian organization, The Windows of SMILE. I also stay to connect.

The most difficult thing about my artistic and musical collaborations is that I always have to push the musical boundaries, because with each encounter, it’s exploring other, completely new musical horizons. I have to rework others techniques and melodies to be at the same level. It’s very enriching, especially when you want to surpass yourself.

Right now, I’m working on in others techniques that I had within myself and that I rediscovered by listening to improvisation recordings I made 15 years ago. That means you have to listen to yourself, and listen to those around you. 

If your music was a journey, where would it take listeners first?

You know, my music is a reflection of me, a reflection of my personality. When I listen to my music, what I want is to connect with myself. I also want this connection to happen with all your listeners who listen to my music, so that they can travel through it and connect with their inner selves, while opening their eyes to what’s happening around them. Because we live in a world where everything is in flux from one moment to the next, and tomorrow we could find ourselves in the same place as today’s afflicted people. 

Is there one specific track from ‘Tama Silo’ you feel best captures your vision of “modern African” style?

Yes,many songs in the Tama Silo album reflect my vision of modern African music, there are songs, like the song “Val d’Aran” where I live in the Pyrenees, which reflect my vision of pushing the boundaries of modernity while maintaining African roots. There is also the song “NA FATOU” which I dedicated to my grandmother who left this world while I was traveling far from Africa. There is also a song I composed in Spanish called “Dime Cuando” (When You Know It), which is a love story.

I think that openness is always beneficial for everyone on a cultural and social level. It is this artistic approach that I have always advocated, when I embraced my musical career at 14 years old. 

How do you know when you’ve successfully given your “best self” in a performance?

You know, I remember when I’m with my musicians recording in the studio, we’re often separated by booths. Sometimes they ask me after each recording session, asking me if they played well on the song we’re recording. I tell them that everyone looks deep inside themselves to see if they gave their best in the songs. Others tell me they do, and others tell me they don t really feel what they just played on the song we’re recording. To that, I tell them, “We’re going to go back to the track you recorded, record it again.”

You know, in life and in everything, if we don’t believe in what we do or if we’re not whole when doing things, it means we don’t value the things we achieve or recognize the efforts made by others. 

If you could leave listeners with one thought after hearing your music, what would it be?

The thought I would like to leave with your listeners, after listening to my music, is that they will be transported by the music and may they sail in an atmosphere of inner peace that fills them every time they listen to our music, and that each time they walk the paths of the earth’s plains and that each obstacle and difficulty they encounter may our music serve as support and give them the strength and energy to live and to be able to climb the mountains and obstacles of daily life because the paths that furnish the earth’s space are well adorned with obstacles. 

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