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Ibeyi On World Cafe

Ibeyi.
Courtesy of the artist
Ibeyi.

Ibeyi is made up of twins Lisa-Kaindé and Naomi Diaz, who grew up in France but went home to Cuba every summer. Their father, Anga Diaz, was a percussionist who played with the Buena Vista Social Club.

The sisters were encouraged by their mother to study music all their life, but took the idea of playing together more seriously after Anga Diaz's death in 2006. That was also when Naomi Diaz picked up the cajon, a distinctive instrument her father played.

The name Ibeyi means "twins" in the African language Yoruba. The duo's music is deeply influenced by the Yoruba religion — which has many adherents in Cuba — and often incorporates Yoruban chants. Here, Lisa-Kaindé and Naomi Diaz perform songs from their self-titled debut.

Copyright 2015 XPN