the throne in lhasa awaits.

for those cats who didn't cop this the first time it was floating around a few years ago. again had to break it up into two parts because zippy is acting weird.

one // two

selling live water.

fela lite, but still a very pleasant listen.

for michael.

a man with the voice of an angel.

ps it was good to see you amigo. i look forward to the next time we can listen to indonesian tapes together.

saturnin rhythms.

based benin funk workouts.

walking amongst the trees pt.2.

this post is for my dear friend mike. hope yr doing well amigo. miss ya pal.

walking amongst the trees.

for a good friend, sorry for the lack of desert posts amigo. this will make up for it! seriously jamming psych shit here. will blow yr mind. from the insane geetar leads to the ecstatic yelps in the background, this is a stunner.

rambo zambo.

i know y'all are lyke gawd moar muzak from mali?! of course my babies, more music from my favorite region in africa. it's what soothes my weary soul after a long day of mind numbing work, & a beautiful way to start my day off with the sun shining on my face & a cup of coffee in my hand. enjoy y'all!

another beautiful day in the neighborhood.

some more beautiful mali blooze to start yr weekend off right, or in my case, my tuesday. catch y'all on the flip amigos!

dance of the cedars.

nigerian funk of the highest order. will get yr feet moving in no time fershure amigos.

haunt me haunt me do it again.

i know this isn't terribly original in our download circles, but for again for those who don't have this, a classique burner of ghana funk for y'all.

metaphors in a mixmaster.

deeply spiritual mali blues.

it's been a while now.

blown out mali blues until the last track which is a pure psychedelique mindfuck.

a light in the darkness.

Sory Kandia Kouyaté was a remarkable singer who died at the age of 44 in 1977, just a few years before western audiences began to more widely appreciate west African music. He was a celebrity in Guinea and toured widely as an ambassador for his country, even appearing at the UN, and would certainly have attained the global status of his compatriot Mory Kanté if he had lived longer. This intriguing double album is a reminder of why of he was special. It is divided into two very different sections: an acoustic set with backing provided by kora, balafon, and his own ngoni and guitar; and an even more distinctive set in which he is supported by two leading Guinean bands of the early 70s. They match electric guitar and brass against his sometimes startlingly powerful vocals, on rousing, stately praise songs for his country and its ruling party. The politics may be questionable, but the music is magnificent. - the guardian

this is absolutely stunning. his voice is angelic & the playing is beautiful. essential summer listening.

pt.1 // pt.2

dawn treader.

for the cats who haven't heard franco before, here is manna in four parts to survive in the desert with. this post is dedicated to all sonic adventurers, keep yr head up high & burn yr flame brighter to fight the ensuing darkness. most of all, this is dedicated to a man with the heart of a lion who is making his way down south for sunnier climates & friendlier locales. i've only known you a short time, but yr one of the best people i have ever met. i look forward to more 2am nights of spinning yarns & listening to the beautiful sounds of the desert together. best of luck to you in everything that you do. only the most positive of vibes yr way fellow kosmonaut. we'll meet again soon my friend.

mali ba.

In the six years since Mali's Habib Koite released his last new studio album, he developed a reputation in the West as one of his country's greatest cultural exports. On Afriki, Koite has fine-tuned his carefully manicured approach to melodic, acoustic-based songs of deep personal and global meaning. Always an engaging singer and songwriter, Koite's guitar is on equal footing here; his playing and the overall musicianship of his band, Bamada, outshines anything they offered in their previous outings. Koite exhibits a newfound sensitivity in his playing, always intricate, evocative, rhythmic and moving. Some of the instrumental work is reminiscent of the folk guitar styles of the '60s, but on tracks like the exquisite "N'Teri," a simple song of thanks, Koite brings in lush orchestration and background vocalists, as well as an array of native African instruments such as the balofon and n'goni. Other tracks, among them the album-opening "Namania" and "Africa" (with horns arranged by James Brown veteran Pee Wee Ellis), a song calling for African self-reliance, apply Koite's guitar, soulful voice and the gap-filling backup singers to a more polyrhythmic setting. "Fimani" reunites Mali with the blues it spawned, while the closing "Titati" is a solo showcase for Koite's lone (but never lonesome) guitar. Some may say that the key to Koite's escalating popularity lies in an eagerness to look outside of Mali for ideas to incorporate with his own; that may be so, but that's not such a bad thing at all if the result is an uplifting, empowering world music that truly does bring together so much of the world, in such a warm and enchanting way. - Jeff Tamarkin

found out about this cat through a rough guide to mali comp a couple of years back, was blown away by the pure emotion of the song, mali ba. tracked this down, & while the album is not as strong as that track, it's still extremely enjoyable.