Ahoy,
It’s been roughly ten days since I got here. I think I officially feel like a “fish in the water”, it’s fun. So much fun. And working out for me biznass-wise, I’m meeting PLENTY of people, listening to great music, coming home with some of the best, and more exited than ever to BLOW THIS SHYTE UP all over the globe.
Dakar is large and has plenty to enjoy. The music scene for me here has been a seemingly endless thread of studios, homes and live music bars. I have been fortunate to meet some inspiring people whom I’ll probably collaborate with for a while. Aicha, a Chadian who grew up between Ndjamena, Saoudi Arabia, Cairo and Dakar, and Badou, a genuine Dakar local who knows the city and its music and nightlife like no other. Through them, I met many musicians, producers, radio peeps and plain ol’ cool people. Some of whom I might collaborate with. I should return with an eclectic selection of salsa mbalax, hip hop in Wolof and French and acoustic Peul music. A nice start. Small but top quality selection. I head to Bamako next, where I expect more Peul and other folk-ish acoustic music, hip hop and maybe some reggae and coupé décalé. I am getting VERY excited for Abidjan, Ivory Coast. It has quite the reputation around these parts, people basically say Dakar can be a bit stuck up, and Abidjan is where people really get loose. Paris vs London or Berlin, kinda? Makes sense, Dakar has the hottest girls ;p
But, anyway…
It’s also important to know the basics: I am WELL FED. I eat fish once or twice a day, grilled, always fresh and simply delicious. Served with mustard (I should say deli mustard or Dijon mustard, does the other kind really matter?) and hot sauce, grilled onions, rice, I love it. I just ate “pigeon”, which doesn’t seem to be PIGEON, but some kind of small bird. When the dish arrived I looked at the tiny, meager-ass whole birds with sadness. Alas, this ain’t Thanksgiving. But as I started chewing, I got pretty addicted. This bird was the un-turkey, minuscule but packed with flavor and FAT.
I also have a SWEET PAD. I am staying in a fairly posh neighborhood, Point E, in a room inside a large house, which happens to be Youssou Ndour’s former studio.
