Through email correspondence and transcontinental translations, I was able to interview Sidi Touré about his new album, Koïma, as well as get some answers about his other musical endeavors and his personal life. Though I never got to meet or speak to the man himself, there was something about this virtual conversation that seemed appropriate; regardless of our locations, we were able to exchange thoughts and musings almost effortlessly, conquering distance in a way. To me, this is exactly what Sidi’s music does: although his style and musical traditions are from a culture very distant to ours, his albums travel well, hinting at a lost familiarity.

In Koïma, out April 17, one can hear how much American music is subtlety influenced by Sidi’s native style, and vice versa. In anticipation of this conversation, I listened to the album countless times, marveling at the intricacies and beauty of the Songhaï tradition that Sidi is so well-versed in. I wanted to know more about the man behind the music; I wanted to learn more about the genre and the legacy that he is building on with his contributions. Writing back, he delved into his history and roots, enlightening me as to what exactly I was hearing while listening to his record.

EH Although you are experiencing a new spike in popularity, you have been very under the radar for most Western audiences for the bulk of your career. How has this new international interest in your music affected you?

ST This is very satisfying, a great joy, especially when you see the amount of Malians artists who remain in the shadow. I’d like to take the opportunity to thank Covalesky, my producer, Thrill Jockey, my label, and Mel Puljic, my U.S. booking agent, for believing in me.

I’m very proud of the work I’ve done. People often think about money first. I think about the work first; only work ennobles you.

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It’s been two years since the last odd numbered year, and you know what that means—it’s almost time for the Venice Biennale! June 4th marks the opening of ILLUMInations, the art show portion of the festival. A number of artists covered by BOMB will be exhibiting artwork. Here’s an all-purpose guide.

– Berlin-by-way-of-Jerusalem video artist Omer Fast will be showcasing works at the Biennale this year. His nouveau approach to videography has earned him international acclaim, including a showing at the 2008 Whitney Biennial.

– Rashid Johnson, known for his use of unconventional materials and black historical references, is set to exhibit in Venice. Johnson earned recognition at a very early age at the 2001 Freestyle art show and has been developing his own unique visual art technique ever since.

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Ethan Harfenist whets his appetite as he reviews El Bulli: Cooking in Progress, a new documentary directed by Gereon Wetzel that delves deep into the world of luxurious Spanish restaurant El Bulli.

El Bulli’s reputation is legendary among foodie circles the world over. Known for pioneering “molecular-gastronomy” and toting triple-Michelin-star honors, El Bulli is often referred to as the “greatest restaurant in the world.” Located in picturesque Cala Monjoi, a Catalan cove outside of Barcelona, the laboratory/restaurant shuts down for six months every year so owner Ferran Adrià and his cohorts can construct a completely new menu via mad scientific food experimentation. With its innovative cuisine, fascinating modus operandi, and borderline megalomaniacal owner and operator, El Bulli is a perfect subject for a film.

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Ever wonder what stuff the BOMB staff likes? Check out the new Stuff We Like column and then get watching, reading, and listening.

The Dances of Jen McGinn

Brooklyn based choreographer, Jen McGinn, is an artist whose work I have come to admire and love over the years. Both a logician and magician of sorts, her dances interweave the formal and the absurd, the classical and the queer. In Lily, a piece recently performed at the Center for Performance Research, McGinn takes on the classical form of the nude female body in a duet that subverts the male gaze through its manifestations of female desire. To give you some idea of the abounding absurdity within McGinn’s work, I left the performance of Lily singing “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” with the memory of two women jumping in place for an excessively long time, their naked breasts circling and rebounding in a meeting of form and formlessness. Be sure to keep your eyes peeled for upcoming performances—her work is truly a rare treat.

—Lauren Bakst, education intern

Click through for more of this and other stuff we’re digging here in BOMB’s offices.

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Ever wonder what stuff the BOMB staff likes? Check out the new Stuff We Like column and then get watching, reading, and listening.

The Tree of Life, directed by Terrence Malick

This past weekend I finally saw The Tree of Life, Terrence Malick’s meditation on mothers and fathers, sons and brothers, cosmology and creation, nature and grace, 1950s Americana and, briefly, dinosaurs. From the origins of the universe to suburban Texas to a notional depiction of the afterlife, Tree is an impressionistic feat of filmmaking, offering glimpses of an imagined primordial creation—and gestation—alongside snapshots of a family grappling with existential questions. Using mainly non-verbal storytelling techniques and cinematic sleights of hand, Malick manages to capture a nostalgia for the simplicity of childhood and the fall from innocence that follows, themes at the heart of all of his films. Many of the scenes left me speechless—those of the brothers roughhousing in the front yard more than those illustrating galactic birth. It felt like a long poem unspooling in cinematic real-time over nearly 2 1/2 hours, with long stretches of silence interrupted almost imperceptibly by Alexandre Desplat’s score….

Click through for more of this and other stuff we’re digging here in BOMB’s offices.

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This week’s BOMB Alert features concerts, readings, film screenings, a new student art exhibition, and a performance art piece at PS1. Don’t let the fact that it’s August slow you down.

MONDAY

Recently reunited rockers Clap Your Hands Say Yeah! are performing at Littlefield in Brooklyn. Start refreshing Craigslist over and over again.

The School of Visual Arts is hosting a reception for its new student show, Intimate Strangers. It includes painting, photography, sculpture, and digital prints “exploring individual identity and emotional dualities.”

TUESDAY

Novelist Rick Moody will be at Bookcourt presenting material from his new book The Four Fingers of Death. At 7 PM.

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