The news of Toumani Diabaté and Ali Farka Touré’s second collaboration album came as a bit of a surprise. The success of their first partnership; ‘In the Heart of the Moon’, a deeply rich and colourful collection of three-stringed melodies and vocals led to them to win a Grammy award in 2005. However, Tourés tragic death in 2006 from bone cancer led us all to believe that there sadly wouldn’t be any more material from the legendary Malian blues guitarist.
For this new assortment of songs, we have technology to thank. Using computer equipment and pieces of old recordings, World Circuit have managed to revive and create an astonishing collection of music entitled ‘Ali and Toumani’ set for release in February 2010.
The new single ‘Kala Djula’ is no let down. Resonating their previous capabilities for tender compositions, the track features a subtle complexity that gives the instrumental song a certain level of intensity and wistfulness. Nevertheless, the occasional moments of playfulness result in a song that never fails to sound boring.
The only downfall to using old recordings is the fear that the material won’t be entirely different to anything released before; however, this isn’t a problem for ‘Kala Djula’. If you’ve heard their music before, you’ll know exactly what to expect from this track and the upcoming album. Nonetheless, you will see that Diabaté’s kora playing and the way in which the melodies have been clasped together, have combined to produce a piece of music that has been seamlessly developed.
For this new assortment of songs, we have technology to thank. Using computer equipment and pieces of old recordings, World Circuit have managed to revive and create an astonishing collection of music entitled ‘Ali and Toumani’ set for release in February 2010.
The new single ‘Kala Djula’ is no let down. Resonating their previous capabilities for tender compositions, the track features a subtle complexity that gives the instrumental song a certain level of intensity and wistfulness. Nevertheless, the occasional moments of playfulness result in a song that never fails to sound boring.
The only downfall to using old recordings is the fear that the material won’t be entirely different to anything released before; however, this isn’t a problem for ‘Kala Djula’. If you’ve heard their music before, you’ll know exactly what to expect from this track and the upcoming album. Nonetheless, you will see that Diabaté’s kora playing and the way in which the melodies have been clasped together, have combined to produce a piece of music that has been seamlessly developed.
