Thanks to Toni Polo of Radio Groovalización for this beautiful piece he cut with Alou days ago in Bamako.

Yeah… we’re hams! Couldn’t resist but post this massive feature courtesy of our friends over at iTunes. If this is any indication, Iba’s album is well worth checking out. Thanks again to Bruno & the iTunes US team for helping us push this fabulous music!!

To celebrate a great 2009, our friends at Six Degrees are letting the world sample their releases: they’re giving away 8 mp3s on their site, go check them out! We couldn’t resist to share one of the tracks right here:

Download “Fafa” – Vieux Farka Touré

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For those who forgot… Vieux Farka Touré, despite his name (vieux = old in French) is not Ali Farka Touré ancestor, but his own SON!! He’s been on the road pushing his dad’s legacy worldwide, and even counts Ahmed Fofana as one of his musicians, often his small orchestra’s conductor actually. On this one he gets the electro treatment courtesy of Sabbo, our favorite kuduro inspired Israeli producer, who’s already done damage with the Ze Bula remixes. This one being the track Fondo, coming out on Six Degrees. Read about it here or download the remix directly:

Vieux Farka Touré – Fondo (Sabbo remix)

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Here’s an interesting article about Le Hogon, one of Bamako, Mali’s prime spots for live music. We heard Toumani Diabaté perform there in April 2008, and… are eager to return asap. Except we were told it closed down, any tips on other good music venues in Bamako?