Spotlight: Vieux Farka Touré & Khruangbin

For musical thrill-seekers, much joy can be found in collaborations that bring together unlikely partners to create fresh and unexpected sounds. That’s exactly what’s on offer in the latest album by the Malian singer and guitarist Vieux Farka Touré. Simply entitled Ali, the album plunges Vieux into the psychedelic soundworld of Texan trio Khruangbin. 

Ali was conceived by Vieux as a homage to his father, desert blues legend Ali Farka Touré, and reworks a selection of the elder’s most beloved tunes alongside lesser-known tracks. “We wanted to pick songs that were relevant to what is happening in the world now,” Vieux explains. “I think all the songs we selected have important messages. We didn’t just pick the songs that would be most fun to play. I think these songs will all be interesting and perhaps educate audiences.” A case in point is the single ‘Savanne’, released this summer, which reinterprets the title-track of Ali’s posthumous final album from 2006. “The song talks about the difficult experiences of an African immigrant living in Europe,” says Vieux. “This is a message that connects to the current situation in Mali where sadly many are forced to leave their homes.”

While Vieux is keen for the album’s themes to have contemporary relevance, his choice of Khruangbin as backing band also lends the music a hyper-modern spin. Since releasing their debut album, The Universe Smiles Upon You, in 2015, the trio of bassist Laura Lee Ochoa, guitarist Mark Speer and drummer Donald ‘DJ’ Johnson, have forged a magpie sound that flings together elements of R&B, dub and dreamy psychedelia with far-flung influences ranging from Thai funk (the band’s name is Thai for ‘Airplane’) to Anatolian folk and Iranian soul. 

Now, with Ali, they’ve added Malian music to the mix. As Johnson explains, this didn’t just mean mastering West African rhythms and structures, but also accommodating Vieux’s improvisational verve. “This was the first time we’ve ever approached recording in this fashion. Vieux didn’t want us to listen to any of the material that we were going to record prior to the session. So, we went in blind. We had no idea what we were playing. He would start off playing something and give us the vibe and we just did what we would do based on what we heard.”

It’s testament to all four musicians’ open ears and wide imaginations that the results, recorded in Houston in 2018, are gorgeously relaxed and seamlessly blended. “I have met many people that are big stars,” says Vieux, “but Khruangbin were always very open, laid-back and warm. It was lovely working with them, and we are good friends now.” Johnson, too, has happy memories of the session. “Vieux was such a warm, inviting personality. There was a bit of a language barrier, but a lot of the communication was through music. One of our fondest memories was Vieux bringing in a fish dish for lunch every day. I don’t think we’ve ever had anyone bring homemade food to the studio for us to eat!”   

This feature originally appeared in the November 2022 issue of Songlines. Never miss an issue – subscribe today