Vieux Farka Tour & Khruangbin – Ali (2025)

Description

Ali Farka Tour trekked the world, bringing his beloved Malian music to the masses. Dubbed the African John Lee Hooker, one could hear strong connectionsbetween the two; both employed a bluesy style of play with gritty textures that elicit calm and fury in equal measure. While the influence of Black blues musicprevailed, Tour created a West African blend of ‘desert blues’ that garnered Grammy awards and widespread reverence. Though he transcended in 2006, Alismusical legacy lives on through his son, Vieux aka the Hendrix of the Sahara, an accomplished guitarist and champion of Malian music in his own right. OnAli, his collaborative album with Khruangbin, Vieux pays homage to his father by recreating some of his most resonant work, putting new twists on it while
maintaining the originals integrity. The result is a rightful ode to a legend. Ali isnt just a greatest hits compilation. Its a lullaby, a remembrance of Ali’s lifethrough known highlights and B-sides from his catalog. It is a testament to what happens when creativity is approached through open arms and open hearts.To me, music is magic, it is spontaneous, it is the energy between people, Vieux says. I think Khruangbin understands this very well. The genesis of thealbum dates back to 2019, when Khruangbin, coming off their breakthrough album Con Todo el Mundo, was beginning to play to bigger crowds. The recordwas finished in 2021, as a global pandemic shuttered businesses and forced us to take stock of what Earth was becoming. Indirectly, Ali captures this as amoment of peace within a raging storm, a conversation between past and present without allegiance to suffering. Now, given Khruangbins reach as a unit withlegions of fans (including the likes of Jay-Z and Paul McCartney), theyre poised to bring Malian music to broader groups of listeners. Ali is a masterful work inwhich the love surrounding it is just as vital as the music itself, driving it to unforeseen places; Vieux and Khruangbin are spreading the good word to acompletely new generation. I hope it takes them somewhere new, or puts them in a place they haven’t felt or heard, Lee says. It is about the love of newfriendship and making something beautiful together, Vieux continues. It is about pouring your love into something old to make it new again. In the end and in
a word it is love, that’s all.

Tracklist

1.Savanne
2.Lobbo
3.Diarabi
4.Tongo Barra
5.Tamalla
6.Mahine Me
7.Ali Hala Abada
8.Alakarra