Khruangbin is collaborating with Vieux Farka Touré to honor the latter’s late father, Malian guitarist, Ali Farka Touré. Their upcoming joint album, called Ali, will recreate the legendary namesake guitarist’s work by way of experimental sounds, while maintaining the soul of the originals.
“I want this album to convey love. It is about the love that Ali brought into the world,” said Vieux in a statement. “It is about the love that I have for him and that Khruangbin has for his music. It is about pouring your love into something old to make it new again.”
Ahead of the album, Khruangbin and Vieux have released a single called “Savanne,” a hypnotic, guitar-driven track, with conga drums in the background, on which, Ali’s vocal samples repeat throughout.
When deciding how to arrange the album, Vieux chose his favorite songs of Ali’s, as well as songs that represented different eras of his father’s long-spanning career.
“We made this album to honor Ali’s life and body of work,” said Khruangbin in a statement. “We hope this collaboration enlightens more people to Ali’s musical legacy.”
Check out “Savanne” above and the cover art and tracklist below.
1. “Savanne”
2. “Lobbo”
3. “Diarabi”
4. “Tongo Barra”
5. “Tamalla”
6. “Mahine Me”
7. “Ali Hala Abada”
8. “Alakarra”
Ali is out 9/22 via Dead Oceans. Pre-save it here.