Sara Baya returns with “Diaraby”, a reworking of a traditional West African song that’s been interpreted by many, including Ali Farka Touré and Ry Cooder on their 1994 album Talking Timbuktu. Baya’s version strips it back, pushing the arrangement into a sparse, atmospheric space, while keeping its roots intact. French-Caribbean artist Gérald Toto contributes vocals, bringing clarity and calm to a track that avoids both nostalgia and overproduction.

The title, “Diaraby” (“love” in Bambara) hints at the song’s emotional core, but Baya and Toto avoid romantic cliché in favour of atmosphere and suggestion. Instead, it’s built around a tight, minimal structure: looped percussion, ambient textures, and the distinct presence of the kora, whose cyclical patterns ground the piece in its original context. Toto’s vocal stays close to the surface, restrained and clear, with no unnecessary flourish.

This is the second collaboration between the two artists, following 2025’s “Aji Aji,” and their shared sensibility is again evident here. Where that earlier track played more explicitly with Afro-Caribbean syncopation, “Diaraby” is more restrained, less interested in groove than in mood.

Born in France to Algerian parents, Sara Baya brings a background in ethnomusicology and sound design to her work. Her music often bridges North African and West African musical frameworks with contemporary electronica. Her productions are grounded in a research-driven process that incorporates field recordings, analogue textures, and modal improvisation.

Gérald Toto, known for his work as part of the celebrated trio Toto Bona Lokua, has long explored the meeting points of voice, identity, and diaspora. His solo work spans French chanson, Caribbean folk, and experimental soul, and he remains one of the few artists able to lend authentic intimacy to complex, layered arrangements.

You can stream and listen to the single HERE