It is not every day that students have the chance to experience live music that is out of this world, or at least from out of this country.

At 8 p.m. Sunday though, students will have the opportunity to hear Alioune Guisse, a Dakar, Senegal native, perform at The State Theatre, 130 W. College Ave., with his band Warref.

"It's not the kind of thing you are going to walk downtown and see at one of the night spots," said Joe Apfelbaum, the programming manager for the State Theatre.

Apfelbaum added that Alioune's music has a lot of world elements to it.

"There is a lot of rhythm and different instrumentation," he said.

Taking after his father -- a professional musician in West Africa-- Alioune said music has always come naturally to him.

"I have it inside me," he said.

The tall, African man with a heavy accent said he plays a combination of different genres -- from African traditional to Afropop.

"I believe music was created by senses and emotion," Alioune said. "I play everything I feel."

Robert Person, a friend and loyal fan, said he has seen Alioune perform on more than one occasion.

He said performances by Alioune are like nothing he has ever seen before.

"The dancers, the movement, the clothing," he said. "I've never seen anything like it."

Alioune said his music has elements of jazz, salsa and reggae, as well as traditional Senegalese styles.

"We go all over, and wherever we go, we have to have something for everyone," Alioune said.

He said his performance with Warref -- which means "do the right thing" -- will include many different instruments, dancers and performers from all over the United States and Africa.

"Whoever comes to the show, you're not going to forget it," Alioune said.

Apfelbaum said musicians in State College who have heard Alioune perform say he has an amazing voice.

"When he sings behind the percussion in his native languages [Wolof and Pulaar], his voice is like the rising sun," Person said.

In Senegal, Alioune studied at the Senegalese National School of the Arts. He moved to New York City in 2000, where he continued to study, write and perform music.

"Music is my life," he said. "Music is important, and the performance is important too. People want to remember it."

Alioune is confident that people will do just that.

Alioune speaks and performs in four different languages and has toured many countries learning and experiencing new things.

"I always show people the reality that I have inside of me," he said.

Alioune said he chose to perform in an area like State College because he wants to present something different to students and the community.

"They need something new," he said. "You can't eat chicken every day."

The expressive and enthusiastic Alioune said he is a good friend of Akon, and added their fathers used to perform together.

"Akon's dad was the first one who understood what I was doing," Alioune said. "He believed I could be somebody."

Come Sunday, he will have the chance to prove himself to State College.