Touré's story goes back two generations when four brothers were living in a village near Kayes, in what is now the modern state of Mali. They were all shoemakers and leather workers and they strived to sustain the old traditional family trade by turning the skins of crocodiles from the nearby river into shoes, bags, pouches and wallets. But for some reason, perhaps drought or excessive hunting, the crocodile population began to fall dramatically and the family were no longer able to live from their craft. The brothers decided to disperse to the four winds and they never saw each other again. One of them, Daby Touré, went to live near Zinguinchor in Casamance, the southernmost province of Senegal, where he married four wives and produced a large brood of children. For reasons that no one has ever been able to really explain, this new Touré generation was touched by a deep love and gift for music. A younger member of the clan, Hamidou Touré, was brought up by an uncle up north in Mauritania. Once he had graduated as a doctor in the Mauritanian capital Nouakchott, he was sent to a sand blown desert town called Boutilimit, where he married a beautiful woman, who was half Moorish or Hassaniya and half Toucouleur. They gave birth to a son who they called Daby, in honour of his grandfather, the patriarch of the family.
Daby Touré grew up in Boutilimit, Nouakchott, and Casmance before going to live with an uncle in the village of Djeole, near Kaedi, on the banks of the Senegal river in Mauritania. His parents had divorced, and Touré's father couldn't be seen to be raising young children on his own. In Djeole, Daby soaked up the language, culture and music of his Soninke people, as well as Touré of the neighbouring Toucouleur and Wolof. He learned all about farming and cattle rearing. It was a secure village childhood. 'With hindsight, I think the times I spent in the village were the most important in my life, because that's where I was forged,' Touré remembers. In the black velvet warmth of the night, he would get together with friends to bang out rhythms on old tins, canisters and cardboard boxes and entertain the village. And when diversion was required at henna and wedding feasts, Touré and his mates would often be sent for.
Later, Touré moved back to the capital Nouakchott to live with his father. After a tiring day at the hospital, Hamidou would often relax by playing music with his friends. Touré wasn't allowed to touch the guitars, because his father did not want him to develop any crazy ideas about becoming a musician. But he stole time on the instruments anyway and taught himself the basics. He also began discovering the exotic joys of western pop music, thanks to radio, pirated cassettes and the occasional TV broadcast. The Police, Dire Straights, Bob Marley, Stevie Wonder and Michael Jackson were powerful formative influences. Although a deep fascination and hunger for music was developing in the teenager, Touré's father continued to insist that music was not a career option for a any well brought-up young man. 'In Mauritania, the profession of musician doesn't really exist,' explains Touré. 'A profession is something you train for and get a diploma. My father was more fearful for me than anything else, because he knew what a musician's life consisted of and for him it wasn't a future.'
In 1989, political unrest and inter-ethnic conflict was making life in Mauritania very difficult, so when Hamidou received an invitation from his younger brothers Sixu and Ismael to join their group Touré Kunda, although at first he hesitated, the offer seemed too good to refuse. He sold his house to pay for his son to come along with him. The rich musical life of Paris was a magical revelation to the eighteen-year-old Touré, and although his father continued to brow-beat him about his studies, music slowly became his whole life. He began to play little gigs in bars and college parties with rock and cover bands. After he finally gave up his course at Business School, despite his father's objections, and went to live in an African hostel or foyer in Paris, Touré teamed up with his cousin Omar and formed Touré Touré; the two 'Touré'. They began to explore the vivid common frontiers of jazz and African music.
A meeting with Jean-Pierre Como, the keyboard player with established avant-jazz-fusionists Sixun, kick-started a chain-reaction which lead to a record deal with French independent label Pygmalion Records and the release of Touré Touré's one and only album 'Ladde'. The Sixun connection opened up the doors to the bubbling Parisian jazz scene, with its open-mindedness and vitality, and Touré fell in love with bands like Weather Report, Joe Zawinul and Pat Metheny. It was their originality and artistry that fascinated him above all else. Despite the fact that 'Ladde' was very well received in France and Touré Touré played hundreds of concerts all over the country, as well as further afield in Canada and Brazil, Touré felt dissatisfied with the band's progress. It seemed that the industry, the media and audiences were only interested in the roots, African and dance band aspects of the group.
'The music that I play is based on exploration, on original compositions. It's like a painter who gets up to paint a painting. I get up in the morning, I pick up my guitar and I start working. I don't know where I'm going but I go.'
Touré locked himself away in his room, with his own home-studio and equipment and began to write and arrange songs. He controlled every aspect of the creative process, from composition, to arrangements, to performance and mixing. That was important. Touré was in pursuit of a very individual musical vision, and he needed the time, space and solitude to make it a reality.
After several years hard work, Touré teamed up with electronic musician and digital wizard Cyrille Dufay to develop the sound further. The result of all this experimentation, exploration and hard graft is 'Diam'.
The songs on the album tell of Touré's life, of the people around him and of the world in general. He sings of relationships, his family, freedom and, above all, of being positive when times are hard. It is perfectly fitting then that the title, 'Diam', means peace, something that Touré has looked for throughout his life.
Source: http://www.realworldrecords.com/dabytoure/?section=aboutdaby
Setal
Daby Touré Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Setal limniou bayiil
Setal yalle mayii setaaal
Setal tii reayou guedj gui
Setal yatouayou soufesse
Setal yalle mayene setaaaal
Mane mi le guemmenaneee
Guemmena tii missal bi iii
Setal ni yalle mayii
Setal dimbeleno setal yalle mayne
Mariama marioso
Mariama marioso
Mariama marioso so so so
Mariama marioso
Mariama
Mariama
Mariama marioso mariamaaaa
Mariama marioso
Mariama marioso so so so
Daby Touré's song Setal is sung in Wolof, a language spoken in Senegal, Mauritania, and Gambia. The song has an upbeat and lively rhythm that is characteristic of traditional Senegalese music. The lyrics of the song are simple yet evocative, with Daby Touré repeating the word "Setal" throughout the song. In a literal sense, Setal means "walk" or "stroll," but it has a deeper significance in the context of the song.
Daby Touré uses Setal as a metaphor for life - the journey we all take from birth to death. The lines "Setal limniou bayiil" and "Setal yatouayou soufesse" refer to the ups and downs of life, the joys and sorrows that we all experience. The repetition of "Setal yalle mayii setaaal" emphasizes the idea that life is a journey, and we must keep moving forward, no matter what obstacles we encounter. The reference to Mariama Marioso, a mysterious and enigmatic figure, adds a layer of complexity to the lyrics, suggesting that life is full of unknowns and uncertainties.
Overall, Daby Touré's Setal is a beautiful and uplifting song that celebrates the human spirit and our ability to persevere in the face of adversity.
Line by Line Meaning
Seta ni yalle mayiiii
It's time to go now
Setal limniou bayiil
Walk on this road
Setal yalle mayii setaaal
It's time to go now
Setal tii reayou guedj gui
Walk with your head up high
Setal yatouayou soufesse
Walk with love in your heart
Setal yalle mayene setaaaal
It's time to go now
Mane mi le guemmenaneee
I'm searching for my true self
Guemmena tii missal bi iii
I want to find the right path
Setal lerneme ni werwiiii haaaaa
Walking will teach you many things
Setal ni yalle mayii
It's time to go now
Setal dimbeleno setal yalle mayne
Walk with determination, it's time to go now
Mariama marioso
Mariama, my love
Mariama marioso
Mariama, my love
Mariama marioso so so so
Mariama, my love
Mariama marioso
Mariama, my love
Mariama
Mariama
Mariama
Mariama
Mariama marioso mariamaaaa
Mariama, my love
Mariama marioso
Mariama, my love
Mariama marioso so so so
Mariama, my love
Writer(s): Daby Toure
Contributed by Hunter S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Caridad Lopez
Jamas lo habia escuchado, que bueno que lo encontre, que voz tan sublime, tan especial, me gusta muchisimoooooo y sin saber que dice me encanta la musica, la melodia,
Analía Zurschmitten Cavalero
Lo descubrí hace muchos años, allá por el 2009, por medio de un blog que se llamaba Música para minorías... uno de los mejores descubrimientos de mi vida. Amo su música. Ojalá algún día pueda verlo en vivo. Abrazos a todos las personas de buen oído, desde Argentina.
tykain léna
j'adore !!!!!!Super artiste, et super beau ;)
Dionisio Russo
Bravissimo!! L'ho conosciuto quando ha cantato con il grande Enzo Avitabile in "Mane e Mane". Vi consiglio di ascoltarlo iin quella performance. Comunque grande Daby Tourè!!
MarioBeart
anche io visto a sanremo con avitabile. mi piace moltissimo!
Mira StreetLourd
Daby Touré, de loiiiin mon chanteur Africain préféré <3
Tamara P
mola muchisimo !! ^^
Saeed Akhtar
Its just so lovely without i understand any word
Drapa Dominik
suuuper song:) Thx for rythm:)
Jonas Gomar
j'ai eu la chance d'avoir vu un concert de touré kunda j'ai même le poster dans ma chambre!!