Ali

The music of Malian guitarist Ali Farka Touré was often exported under the banner of “African blues”—a term Touré, who died in 2006, disliked in part because he said his traditions were considerably older. A collaborative tribute from his son Vieux (a well-regarded musician in his own right) and the globally sourced psychedelic band Khruangbin, *Ali* doesn’t try to modernize Touré’s music but also isn’t afraid to put it in conversation with other sounds, from funk (“Tongo Barra”) and ’70s soul (“Alakarra”) to Indian-inspired drone (“Ali Hala Abada”). And as those familiar with Khruangbin’s stuff more generally might understand, it satisfies the magical auditory illusion of being both great background music and music intricate and textured enough to stand up to a closer listen.

Both occupying their own musical spaces, between Khruangbin's luxurious blend of soul and funk, and Vieux Farka Touré's electric blues, they pay welcome homage to the latter's father on Ali

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Vieux Farka Touré and Khruangbin have collaborated on new album ‘Ali’. The trippy Texan trio are no strangers to fusing a myriad of genres seamlessly and

This collaboration between the son of Mali guitar legend Ali Farka Touré and the hypnotic Houston trio defies categorisation to float off in its own beatific and unhurried mood