Photo’s of Vieux Farka Touré by Kiss Diawara, Mark Speer by Rob Williamson, Laura Lee by Donovan Smallwood, DJ Johnson by Riot Muse
Today Khruangbin and Milian guitarist Vieux Farka Touré announced their collaborative album Ali honoring Vieux’s late father, Ali Farka Touré, due to release on Sept. 23 via Dead Oceans. The late Touré is known as one of the most talented and influential guitarists that Africa has ever produced, and his legacy and impact are hard-pressed to be overstated.
Ali was known for the merging of his traditional Malian musical stylings with distinct elements of the blues, singing in the languages of Songhay, Tamasheq, Fulfulde and Bambara, effectively creating a new genre now known as desert blues. He won three Grammy awards and earned the nickname of the “African John Lee Hooker.”
The homage pays respect to Ali by recreating some of his most evocative work and experimenting with different sounds while staying true to his original recordings. It’s also notable that the LP will be released the day after Republic Day – Mali’s National holiday commemorating the independence of the Republic of Mali from the Mali Federation in 1960.
In conjunction with the album announcement Khruangbin and the younger Touré shared the first preview of the album, “Savanne,” which demonstrates the contrast between baroque guitar flourish and restraint, a contrast featured of ten on desert blues and a skill that earned the Touré the title of “the Hendrix of the Sahara.”
“I want this album to convey love. It is about the love that Ali brought into the world. It is about the love that I have for him and that Khruangbin has for his music. It is about pouring your love into something old to make it new again,” said Touré of the collaboration.
Khruangbin added, “We made this album to honor Ali’s life and body of work. We hope this collaboration enlightens more people to Ali’s musical legacy.”
Ali is made up of eight tracks and features Khruangbin’s guitarist Mark Speer on synthesizer and conga while Touré takes free reign on lead guitar. As per usual, Laura Lee Ochoa’s bass and steadied drumming from Donald “DJ” Johnson Jr. maintain the sonic spine of the project, giving it a pristine Khruangbin stamp. Other songs on the album include “Diarabi,” “Alakarra” and “Ali Hala Abada.”
Listen to “Savanne” below.
ALI TRACKLIST
1. Savanne
2. Lobbo
3. Diarabi
4. Tongo Barra
5. Tamalla
6. Mahine Me
7. Ali Hala Abada
8. Alakarra