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Mr Bongo is proud to present 'The Original Sound of Mali', compiled by Vik Sohonie & David Buttle.
Malian music is arguably deeper, more sophisticated and lyrical than any other form of African music. Those of us deeply entranced by Malian culture, and, in particular, the immense hypnotic beauty of Malian music, have put together a
selection of songs from across the country.
Compiled by Vik Sohonie & Dave 'Mr Bongo' Buttle, the story of this release began in 2015 when Dave happened upon the Soul Bonanza blog. A treasure chest of rare finds from around the world! One mix in particular stood out and totally enthralled Dave - le monde à change: a tribute to mali 1970 - 1991. He
already knew of Malian legends such as the Rail Band, Salif Keita, & Les Ambassadeurs du Motel de Bamako, but this mix was something else! Deep & culled from the collections of some of the heaviest African music collectors in the world, legends like Vik Sohonie, Hidehito Morimoto, Philippe Noel, Gregoire
Villanova, and Rickard Masip. Dave immediately contacted Vik and a journey of discovery tracking down the rights-holders began. He also turned to the font of Malian music knowledge, Florent Mazzoleni. Florent has written the definitive book about Malian music - 'Musiques modernes et traditionnelles du Mali'. He
proposed some incredible tracks to include and provided the back bone of the sleeve notes and photos that are used in the album. No Malian album would be complete without a striking front cover photo, and ours is sourced from the late great Malian photographer Malick Sidibé.
On this album you will find well-known artists sitting next to rarer
discoveries. The Rail Band, who are one of the best known of all the big bands in Mali, gave us the stars Mory Kanté and Salif Keita. Les Amabassedeurs du Motel de Bamako were another big act that had Idrissa Soumaoro, Kanté Manfila, and for a while Salif Keita in their ranks. Sometimes Salif would play in both bands in one night, quite a feat considering the bands were fierce rivals. As an albino Salif has had to face considerable prejudice from society, focussing on his musical career to help overcome this.

A major discovery on the album has been Idrissa Soumaoro et L'Eclipse de L'Ija. L'Eclipse de l'Institut des Jeunes Aveugles was a Blind teenagers institute and their record was produced by the German association that took care of blind Malian teenagers in Bamako. It was never properly released commercially and was the first recordings by the legends of Malian music Idrissa Soumaoro, Amadou Bagayoko and Mariam Doumbia. Amadou & Mariam later got married and became household stars, including making an album with Manu Chao.
This album is a concerted global effort to showcase the most vital cornerstone of Malian culture in an attempt to preserve its reputation in the face of its current, grim reality. We hope our highlights of Mali's rich history of musical innovation will serve as a starting point for reclaiming an image tainted by unnecessary conflict. May peace and music return to Mali soon.
Dedicated to Malick Sidibé.

'Fifteen' celebrates the work of Ben Lamdin, the musical maverick behind the Nostalgia 77 guise, with an eclectic compilation of tracks spanning fifteen years of jazz, hip hop, blues, funk, downtempo, soul and psychedelia.
Handpicked by Nostalgia 77 and Tru Thoughts, this retrospective showcases the best recordings and remixes from the respected producer, composer, songwriter and guitarist, spanning a range of projects. Featured on this fantastic anniversary release, are classics like Prince Fatty's "Medicine Chest Dub" and the second to none take of "Seven Nation Army" featuring the phenomenal vocals from the ever-soulful Alice Russell. Also included on the retrospective, the beautiful tripped out hip hop take on "Sleepwalker" from fellow Brightonian producer Ambassadeurs, and a track from Lamdin's country soul project with acclaimed songwriter Jeb Loy Nichols.

Als Erbe der Tradition der Griots - Geschichtenerzähler, Dichter und Musiker, die jahrhundertelang als Hüter des westafrikanischen Kulturerbes fungierten - war Ousmane ein Wegbereiter des modernen elektrischen Mandingue-Sounds. An der Seite von Mory Kanté & Kanté Manfi la bei Les Ambassadeurs du Motel de Bamako und später bei der in Abidjan ansässigen Band Les Ambassadeurs Internationaux schmiedete Ousmane seine Karriere, bevor er dem malischen Sänger Salif Keita mehr als drei Jahrzehnte lang als dessen Gitarrist diente. Unzählige Jahre des Tourens brachten Ousmane dazu, sich auf seine eigenen Kompositionen zu konzentrieren. „Kefi mba“, benannt nach dem schwarzen Stier aus seiner Kindheit, mit dem er sein Maniok-Essen geteilt hatte, und „N'Ny“ wurden im renommierten JBZ Recording Studio in Abidjan aufgenommen. Sie wurden zunächst auf Kassette veröffentlicht und kamen 1982 und 1983 auf Vinyl heraus. Nur wenige Monate nach der Leon Keita-Veröffentlichung präsentiert Analog Africa nun Ousmane Kouyatés zwei funkgetränkte Mandingue-Perlen aus den frühen 1980er Jahren, sorgfältig restauriert, gepresst auf pink gefärbtem 180g-Vinyl und in einer wunderschönen Siebdruckhülle.

Diese EP ist weltweit auf 2000 Exemplare limitiert und verspricht, die Tanzflächen mit ihren ansteckenden Rhythmen ordentlich zu rocken!

Der malische Sänger und Songwriter Salif Keita, auch bekannt als die “Goldene Stimme Afrikas”, etablierte
sich Anfang der 1990er Jahre als einer der ersten großen Stars der sogenannten Weltmusik. Seine musikalische Entwicklung wurde 2011 auf der Compilation “Anthology” in elf traumhaften Songs nachgezeichnet:
von den Aufnahmen, die er 1978 (noch als Mitglied der Band Les Ambassadeurs Internationaux) für die
Platte “Mandjou” gemacht hatte bis hin zum Album “La Différence” von 2009, das in Frankreich als Weltmusikalbum des Jahres mit dem “Victoires de la Musique” ausgezeichnet wurde. Zu Keitas 75. Geburtstag
am 25. August erscheint ”Anthology” nun zum allerersten Mal als Doppel-Vinyl

One of the greatest, heaviest, and most sought-after guitar records from 1970s West Africa, available on vinyl for the first time in over a decade!!!

Bamako, Mali, 1973: Rail Band, the official orchestra of the Malian state railway, drops their self-titled LP. It’s a relentlessly soulful and hypnotic blend of American funk, jazz horns, and Afro-Cuban music, reflected through centuries-old Mandé tradition and blasted at top volume by some of the continent’s greatest artists.

Led by legendary trumpet and saxman Tidiani Koné and held aloft by the intricate web of Djelimady Tounkara’s rumbling, reverb-soaked guitar, Rail Band’s sprawling compositions embody West African storytelling traditions while exulting in the technology and modernity of a newly independent Mali. Vocalists Salif Keita and Mory Kanté, two heroes of African music who would achieve global fame as soloists, are endlessly emotive, oscillating between silky ballads and funk screams. The band’s sound is filled out by layers of percussion, rolling guitars, and melodic horns filtered through the Caribbean.

Starting in 1970, Rail Band played five nights a week, from 2 pm til the early hours, at the Buffet Hotel de la Gare. Their audience was an international array of businessmen, young partiers, and people of the Bamako night. The band was incredibly versatile, switching genres, rhythms, and styles to meet their crowd. It was a volatile mix, one that would fall apart soon after these recordings were made, with Salif Keita’s departure to start the rival Les Ambassadeurs. Though Rail Band continued in many distinguished forms, the eight songs on this album reveal one of the greatest bands to ever exist, at the height of their creative powers.

On “Duga”, a composition dating back to the 13th century and passed on through oral tradition by the jelis (griots), the Rail Band replace balafon with the interplay of Cheick Tidiane’s speaker-rattling bass and Alfred Coulibaly’s tasteful organ. “Marabayasa,” with its iconic sax intro and Mory Kanté channeling James Brown, is a deep-cut favorite of DJs around the world. Part of a long and regal lineage of Malian guitar orchestras initially tasked with translating the region’s traditional music to modern instrumentation, Rail Band morphed and reenvisioned those traditions with a style and energy that has never been matched.

Hier hatten sich die Klänge aus dem nahen Mali und Guinea mit den lokalen Stilen vermischt und eine reiche Musikszene hervorgebracht: Bands wie Bembeya Jazz, Super Djata Band und andere Mandingue-Giganten gehörten zu den Bestsellern der Region. Leon Keïta, eine feste Größe in der malischen Musikszene, wurde 1947 in Conakry an der Atlantikküste von Guinea geboren. Leon half bei der Gründung der legendären Rail-Band, die zu einer gefeierten Stütze des Nachtlebens in Bamako wurde und die internationalen Karrieren von Salif Keita, Mory Kanté u.v.a. begründete. Leon selbst schloss sich Les Ambassadeurs Internationaux an, mit denen er durch Westafrika tourte, bevor er sich der Arbeit an seinen eigenen Kompositionen zuwandte. Als Leon bereit war, ins Aufnahmestudio zu gehen, lud er seine Freunde von Les Ambassadeurs Internationaux ein, ihm als Begleitband zu dienen; aus dieser Zusammenarbeit gingen zwei Platten hervor, die beide 1978 auf dem Label Papa Disco veröffentlicht wurden. Ein Jahr später veröffentlichte Leon "Rythmes et Mélodies du Mali", das er gemeinsam mit seinem Bruder Germain geschrieben hatte und das vom großartigen Orchestre Black Santiago begleitet wurde. Obwohl Leon nicht viele Soloaufnahmen gemacht hat, erwecken seine Lieder weiterhin die Verehrung aller, die das Glück haben, sie zu hören. In den letzten Jahren wurde der Song "Dalaka" von Carlos Estrada, dem Betreiber des Soundsystems in Barranquilla, wiederentdeckt und wurde zu einem unerwarteten Hit an der kolumbianischen Karibikküste. Zwölf Jahre nach der Veröffentlichung der von der Kritik hochgelobten Bambara Mystic Soul Compilation taucht diese neue Zusammenstellung erneut tief in die Mandingue-Kultur ein, die während Leon Keïtas legendären Sessions Ende der 70er Jahre aufgenommen wurden.

Malian music is arguably deeper, more sophisticated and lyrical than any other form of African music. Those of us deeply entranced by Malian culture, and, in particular, the immense hypnotic beauty of Malian music, have put together a selection of songs from across the country.

Compiled by Vik Sohonie & Dave 'Mr Bongo’ Buttle, the story of this release began in 2015 when Dave happened upon the Soul Bonanza blog. A treasure chest of rare finds from around the world! One mix in particular stood out and totally enthralled Dave - le monde à change: a tribute to mali 1970 - 1991. He already knew of Malian legends such as the Rail Band, Salif Keita, & Les Ambassadeurs du Motel de Bamako, but this mix was something else! Deep & culled from the collections of some of the heaviest African music collectors in the world; legends like Vik Sohonie, Hidehito Morimoto, Philippe Noel, Gregoire Villanova, and Rickard Masip. Dave immediately contacted Vik and a journey of discovery tracking down the rights-holders began. He also turned to the font of Malian music knowledge; Florent Mazzoleni. Florent has written the definitive book about Malian music – 'Musiques modernes et traditionnelles du Mali’. He proposed some incredible tracks to include and provided the back bone of the sleeve notes and photos that are used in the album. No Malian album would be complete without a striking front cover photo, and ours is sourced from the late great Malian photographer Malick Sidibé.

On this album you will find well-known artists sitting next to rarer discoveries. The Rail Band, who are one of the best known of all the big bands in Mali, gave us the stars Mory Kanté and Salif Keita. Les Amabassedeurs du Motel de Bamako were another big act that had Idrissa Soumaoro, Kanté Manfila, and for a while Salif Keita in their ranks. Sometimes Salif would play in both bands in one night, quite a feat considering the bands were fierce rivals. As an albino Salif has had to face considerable prejudice from society, focusing on his musical career to help overcome this.

A major discovery on the album has been Idrissa Soumaoro et L'Eclipse de L’Ija. L'Eclipse de l'Institut des Jeunes Aveugles was a Blind teenagers institute and their record was produced by the German association that took care of blind Malian teenagers in Bamako. It was never properly released commercially and was the first recordings by the legends of Malian music Idrissa Soumaoro, Amadou Bagayoko and Mariam Doumbia. Amadou & Mariam later got married and became household stars, including making an album with Manu Chao.

This album is a concerted global effort to showcase the most vital cornerstone of Malian culture in an attempt to preserve its reputation in the face of its current, grim reality. We hope our highlights of Mali's rich history of musical innovation will serve as a starting point for reclaiming an image tainted by unnecessary conflict. May peace and music return to Mali soon.