Malian folk singer Vieux Farka Touré keeps the Blues alive

Having created a niche sound with his Blues riffs, Malian folk fusion guitarist and singer Vieux Farka Toure never fails to enthrall his fans worldwide. His virtuosity with the guitar is reminiscent of the genius of his father—the legendary Ali FarkaTouré.

In a candid conversation, the Malian folk musician talks about Indian culture, his music and more.

Tell us about your experiences in India this time.

This is my second visit to India, the last time I was here was in 2011. The people in Mali, including me, are very interested in Indian culture. I have been familiar with it since I was a kid. So it's great to come here and experience it.

Do you find any similarities in the music from India and Mali?

On my last visit, I got a chance to play with Rajasthani musicians. It was great. Of course, there are a lot of similarities between both Indian and Malian folk music. They are rooted on the same scale, with their own different variations. But it’s the same harmonically.

Today we see the youth influenced by different genres of music like Electronic Dance music (EDM). Do you think this is driving them away from folk music?

EDM music, machine music is not going anywhere. It's a shame when people do not appreciate their own cultural music. If people do not pay enough attention to folk music, it will die out. 

Did you feel people in India were receptive to your music?

Ofcourse! It feels great to play in front of a brand new audience, they are so open and receptive to world music. The thing that impressed me the most here is the people. They are very friendly and open to interact with.

How do you think the music scenario is changing around the world?

It's very hard to sell one's music or CD nowadays. There is so much electronic music around that it is difficult for an artist to make raw and original music. This also makes it harder for us to take our music to other places because booking a band of five is more difficult than booking one DJ. So these are troubling trends.

Mumbai is the last leg of your tour. Which city in India did you enjoy playing the most in?

Bangalore has been my favourite so far. The weather was pleasant, the city is green, and the crowd was also less in number. So I really enjoyed playing there.

Vieux will perform in Mumbai at the Tote's Turf, Mahalaxmi Race Course, on Wednesday, as a part of his five-city Blackberrys Sharp Nights—Masters of World Music tour.