January 1 1985 Sekou Kouyate started off touring internationally with his parents, and then with his cousin Ba Cissoko, with who he gained his international reputation as one of the worlds best electric Kora players. The Guinean Kora virtuoso, singer and composer, invented the electrified Kora at the amazing age of 12 – and went on to pioneer the sound with Wa Wa pedals, fast riffs, experimental distortions and rock and jazz-influenced playing. The multi-awarded Kouyate’s music is rooted in his West African traditions and influenced by the contemporary Blues, Soul, Funk and Jazz, that has also been his early inspirations. Sekou´s sound, mode of playing and the invention of the electric Kora, has inspired a whole new generation of Kora players.
Not only a great master of the classical musical tradition, Sekou Kouyate also amplifies his instrument and distorts the sound with wah wah pedals, the pioneering idea he got at the age of 12, and that set new standards for West African traditional music to enter the stages of contemporary music. Yet preserving the virtues and techniques of the beautiful instrument, and the knowledge he has proudly inherited from his father, M´Bady Kouyate, and while you know it’s still a Kora, the things he does with it, turn it on its head; it’s little wonder he’s been called the Jimi Hendrix of the instrument. The sound becomes totally new, exciting waterfalls of notes that are palpably thrilling.

He has been called a “Musical Genius” and “The most exiting musician to have come out of the New Generation of the African Continent” and “Worlds best Kora player of his Generation”. Constantly curious and freely experimenting with new sounds, Sekou’s ideas have many sound layers that he extracts from this rich instrument, with its endless possibilities for complex combinations of tones and polyrhythms, and which he performs with great individual expression. Singing with his velvet soft, rich voice, and performing with such abundance of feeling and technique, it is always an emotionally rewarding experience to enjoy Sekou Kouyate´s music. His music is a groovy, soulfull mix of classical Mandingo, and details of Blues, Flaminco, Soul, Jazz and Afro Pop. Hard to descirbe in few terms, Sekou Kouyate has created a music style of its own.