SORIE KONDI - WITHOUT MONEY, NO FAMILY

First things first: he's singing in English, so lissenup. He took part of his name from the instrument he's playing, a kondi; it's crafted from found objects - hardwood resonators made from native African trees, industrial scraps. Sorie Kondi was trapped in Freetown during the 1990s civil war in Sierra Leone and has been blind since birth. He commissions the wood bodies of his instruments from a carpenter, and puts the rest together himself. He is self-trained and has a highly functional understanding of the materials he uses in his instruments.


The first time I heard Sorie Kondi was in 2009, in a Ghetto Palms mix from the Fader. Kondi gained notoriety after he was featured in a documentary and in the Chief Boima remix that the Fader used. Chief Boima is a NYC DJ but a Sierra Leone native; the collaboration between the two has also included Boima's work on Kondi's latest album Thogolobea, produced by Fadie Conteh. The original Chief Boima remix at The Fader; great footage of Sorie Kondi speaking and playing at The Stranger.