New York, USA – Known around the world as “The Golden Voice of Africa,”
Salif Keita is back with
Remixes from Moffou,
based on his 2002 recording
Moffou . On
Moffou , Keita blended the
traditional styles of his West African homeland with influences from Cuba,
Spain, Portugal and the Middle East. Using traditional African instruments
including the n’goni and the jembe along with guitar, calabass and flute, Keita
created some of his most exquisite works to date.
Remixes from Moffou expands on the original recording that took him on a tour around the world. He
collaborated with some of the world’s finest producers and DJ’s, each bringing a
unique contribution to the music, changing its tempo and atmosphere. A sound
with a whole new dimension, the disc has traces of funk, house and drum-n-bass.
The CD was released this week on Decca/Universal Music. Each song on
Remixes from Moffou> is transformed – the songs were given a new face
without distorting the delicate melodies that were originally written. The idea
to remix the entire album was spawned from the feedback that was given from
young music fans. They rushed out to buy “Yamore” (Keita’s duet with
Cesaria Evora ) and club kids went crazy for Marin Solveig’s remix of “Madan.”
European FM radio stations also took notice of the remix which prompted
Universal France to take a step further.
Patrick Votan, artistic director at
Universal Jazz France explains, “Following the success of “Madan” we decided
to ask electro artists who are close to the African scene such as Osunlade,
Doctor L and Frederic Galliano to work on remixes of other tracks from the
album. We also got major mainstream electro stars such as La Funk Mob (the
defunct duo of Cassius Philippe Zdar and Boombass who got back together for the
project), Charles Webster and Luciano on board the project in the hope that this
would take the work of Salif Keita, a unique and original artist, to the ears of
a new public.”
Highlights from the disc include three different versions of favorites “Madan”
and “Moussoulou.” Also featured is the slick mix of “Ana Na Ming” by La Funk
Mob.
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.
