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Vieux Farka Touré and Khruangbin celebrate Ali Farka Touré's musical legacy

Malian guitarist Vieux Farka Touré has been playing with Khruangbin to promote 'Ali' their tribute to Ali Farka Touré out now.

Here's the scoop...

Khruangbin and Malian guitarist Vieux Farka Touré recently shared “Tongo Barra” from their new collaborative album Ali honouring Vieux’s late father, the great Ali Farka Touré, released via Dead Oceans in partnership with Night Time Stories Ltd. “Tongo Barra” is an engrossing, nearly six-minute cornerstone of Ali sung in the Malian Songhai dialect. Check the clip below.

Already Ali has established itself as one of the most anticipated releases of the pairing’s celebrated careers, with the track “Savanne” earning widespread acclaim upon release, leading NPR Music to praise its “labyrinthine fusion of dub, blues and Malian grooves,” calling it “hypnotic” on an episode of All Songs Considered, naming it a top tune on their #NowPlaying column. Listen to "Savanne" below.

The resulting eight songs on Ali are a rightful ode to a legend, a refreshed West African blend of musical reference the pairing hopes reaches new generations and audiences alike. The album will be released the day after Republic Day, Mali’s National holiday commemorating the independence of the Republic of Mali from the Mali Federation on September 22nd, 1960.

Ali, as GQ puts it, “expands Khruangbin’s sound into blues territory with a hint of West African palm wine music. It’s more pulsing and energetic. You can zone out and cut a rug.” “First they pull you in. Then they make you float….,” they continue.

Recently the pairing played a sold-out show in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park on one of the hottest days of the year. Watch their performance of "Mahine Me" below.

With each new project both Khruangbin and Vieux broaden their horizons, embrace new challenges and further entrench their shared reputation as some of the world’s most talented and innovative musicians. This June, Vieux released his latest album Les Racines in which he masterfully returns to the deep roots of the Desert Blues music that his father introduced to the world and writes of his country’s overlapping security, political, and humanitarian crises.

In February, Khruangbin released their second collaborative EP with soul singer Leon Bridges, the sultry, chart-topping Texas Moon, which garnered widespread critical acclaim and pushed the boundaries of R&B sound.

Cover art based on the original work ”Homme Du Sahel” by Abdoulaye Konaté, 2015. Courtesy of Primo Marella Gallery, Milan.

Ali - Vieux Farka Touré & Khruangbin

Savanne

Lobbo

Diarabi

Tongo Barra

Tamalla

Mahine Me

Ali Hala Abada

Alakarra

You can get a copy of Vieux Farka Touré & Khruangbin's new Ali album via your platform of choice right here https://deadoc.co/ali-album. Watch their performance of "Diarabi" in Santa Fe followed by the full album below. Read Nick Millevoi's story about the collaboration in Premier Guitar's November issue right here.