With their boldest release to date, Orchestra Gold unveils Dakan, a transcendent new album that explores the intertwined themes of destiny (dakan) and passion. Guided by the visionary vocals of Malian singer Mariam Diakite, Dakan is a sonic and spiritual journey rooted in tradition, driven by intuition, and lit ablaze with psychedelic energy. Their new album Dakan will be released on October 2nd on vinyl, and all DSPs on October 16th. Click here to pre-order.
Throughout the album, Mariam’s lyrics are inspired by her deep faith and devotion to the Baye Fall tradition, a mystical branch of West African Islam that favors direct communion with the divine over dogma. This spiritual grounding infuses every note of Dakan with power and purpose. Her voice doesn’t just sing, it summons.
Sonically, Dakan marks a turning point for Orchestra Gold. The band steps fully into its identity as a bridge between worlds: West African traditional music and heavy, hypnotic psychedelic rock. It’s undeniably Malian. And it rocks. Fat horns, cosmic guitar lines, and deep, magnetic grooves push the sound into new territory, raw, danceable, and joyfully unrestrained.
It’s music that invites movement, contemplation, and transformation all at once, a rare and resonant space where the sacred meets the electric.
Dakan is not just an album, it’s a vibrant fusion of sound, spirit, and soul. Psychedelic rock collides with Malian soul in a sonic ritual where fate dances with free will. Guitars shimmer like heatwaves. Horns speak in tongues. Grooves pull you sideways through time. It’s spiritual. It’s sweaty. It’s a portal. Step in.
Today, Glide is excited to offer an exclusive premiere of the standout track “Baye Ass N’Diaye,” a raucous work of Afro-psych that finds the band channeling the desert rock sounds of Mali while putting their own original spin on the music. With the steady, propulsive beat and interweaving guitar that is a defining trait of Malian rock pushing the music forward, the band also takes their own creative liberties as they layer in jazz and funk-laced horns. Instead of being solely about that driving rhythm and guitar, they take a few detours along the way as they slow things down to let the music space out into reverb-soaked vocals and fuzzy licks that take the music into what feels like uncharted territory. Malian singer Mariam Diakite’s singing holds a commanding presence that feels hypnotic and at times otherworldly, only to give way to an explosive, horn-loaded conclusion.
Mariam Diakite describes the inspiration behind the tune:
“This song is an homage to my teacher in the Baye Fall tradition, Baye Ass N’Diaye. He taught me that religion must be rooted in the direct experience of the divine. To truly love God, we must experience God.”
LISTEN:
