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LP+CD
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BEC 5543141
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LP version. Includes printed inner-sleeve; Includes CD. La Confusion is the eighth full-length album from Malian musical duo and Grammy-award nominees Amadou & Mariam. The album includes the hit single "Bofou Safou", which Stereogum calls "the funk, the whole funk, and nothing but the funk." The term "bofou safou" is a Bambara (Malian national language) nickname given to nonchalant young men who would rather dance than work. Over the span of three decades, Amadou (guitar and vocals) and Mariam (vocals) have developed an international following, recorded eight full-length albums, and toured around the world. Their album Welcome to Mali (BEC 5156468, 2008) was nominated for "Best Contemporary World Music Album" at the 52nd Grammy Awards. On the ensuing tour they supported U2 on their U2 360 Tour, performed at the 2010 World Cup for FIFA's Kick-Off Celebration, and performed alongside a host of major acts. Don't expect a still frame of African music; Stillness has never been part of their repertoire. The road stretches far behind them as Amadou & Mariam march on, bound by an unbreakable chain in their tireless search for new horizons. Creativity and generosity have never ceased to shine through their eight full-length albums. At their core lies a skillful fusion of heritage and cutting-edge music.
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CD
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BEC 5543140
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La Confusion is the eighth full-length album from Malian musical duo and Grammy-award nominees Amadou & Mariam. The album includes the hit single "Bofou Safou", which Stereogum calls "the funk, the whole funk, and nothing but the funk." The term "bofou safou" is a Bambara (Malian national language) nickname given to nonchalant young men who would rather dance than work. Over the span of three decades, Amadou (guitar and vocals) and Mariam (vocals) have developed an international following, recorded eight full-length albums, and toured around the world. Their album Welcome to Mali (BEC 5156468, 2008) was nominated for "Best Contemporary World Music Album" at the 52nd Grammy Awards. On the ensuing tour they supported U2 on their U2 360 Tour, performed at the 2010 World Cup for FIFA's Kick-Off Celebration, and performed alongside a host of major acts. Don't expect a still frame of African music; Stillness has never been part of their repertoire. The road stretches far behind them as Amadou & Mariam march on, bound by an unbreakable chain in their tireless search for new horizons. Creativity and generosity have never ceased to shine through their eight full-length albums. At their core lies a skillful fusion of heritage and cutting-edge music.
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2LP+CD
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BEC 5156468
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Originally released in 2008, Welcome to Mali is the fifth studio album by Mali musicians Amadou & Mariam, available again in a deluxe gatefold vinyl edition. Includes CD. Features "Sabali (feat. Damon Albarn)".
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2LP+CD
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BEC 5156193
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First vinyl edition of Malian duo Amadou & Mariam's fourth album, Dimanche à Bamako, originally released in 2005. Double LP on orange vinyl; includes CD. Dimanche à Bamako won the BBC Award for World Music Best Album Award 2006; the duo won the African section of the same awards that year. It was also listed as one of Songlines' ten best world music albums of the year and was nominated for a 2006 Grammy Award for Best Contemporary World Music Album. Observer Music Monthly listed it as the 39th best album of the 2000s. "Amadou & Mariam, the blind couple from Mali, have certainly paid their dues over the last 30 years, and it's about time they received their big break. Certainly given the excellent reviews in Europe, Dimanche a Bamako could be it, thanks to the production and participation by the elf prince of world music, Manu Chao. He brings a playful lightness to their soulful, bluesy Malian sound, letting in plenty of sunshine, and drawing in a sense of place through the ambience of traffic sounds and snippets of conversation. Chao is also obviously present on several tracks, such as 'Senegal Fast Food,' which offers a bouncy, reggae-styled rhythm so typical of Chao's own records. ... Lyrically, this is very much an album of love songs, postcards between the couple, but it never veers into maudlin sentiment. Yet there's also a political edge to it, such as with 'La Realite.' Even if you don't understand the words, however, the entire disc is an absolute aural joy, poppy enough to be exquisitely memorable, yet with layers of resonance underneath. Likely to be one of the world music albums of 2005, it can hopefully find the kind of wide audience it surely deserves" --AllMusic. Because Music 10th Anniversary Vinyl Campaign. First time on vinyl. Will stay in catalog after campaign ends.
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LP+CD
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BEC 5161153
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2018 repress. Amadou & Mariam have long cultivated a spirit of openness that they often put into practice with musicians from all backgrounds and styles. On trips into detours, their planetary journey have allowed the couple to forge lasting friendships M. and Vincent Segal were their guests, Keziah Jones and K'naan also interacted, the Lebanese trumpeter Ibrahim Maalouf and British guitarist Johnny Marr were invited to jam, Manu Chao and Damon Albarn produced them with skill -- no doubt, the Malian couple's history is written in the plural suggestive of their affinities. Their land, Mali, is currently one of the most attractive centers of globalized music. The couple still draws from their region's inspiration, a living spring they draw from beyond their region. Such is the strength of Folila, reflecting a growing openness to the world of music. "The idea was to produce two albums: a crossover in New York, centered around meetings, and the other more roots in Bamako, with guests mainly African," says Marc-Antoine Moreau, their loyal manager and artistic director, with sound engineer Antoine Halet. Stage one was recorded in three weeks at the Cooper Square Hotel, which accommodated multiple guests, including Santigold, who puts her voice on "Dougou Badia." Tunde and Kyp, the two black poets of the combo TV On The Radio, slide naturally on "Wally Katasso," a ballad mixed by Keni Takamoto, the sound engineer for Danger Mouse. As for Theophilus London, the young poet prints a subtle flow of soul-jazz onto "Nebe Meri," perfectly fitting with Amadou's blues accents. Other esthete of great black music, Amp Fiddler brings some Detroit soul on "Wari," before lending his keyboard lines onto "Africa My Africa," boosted by Antibalas' section, the Afro-funk combo from Brooklyn, whose brass gleam here and there. As for Jake Shears, the soul of Scissor Sisters and a fan of the couple since a tour together in England, he served his high-pitched voice on the haunting disco blues of "Metemya." Last but not least, Ebony Bones puts fire on "C'est Pas Facile," a track that flirts with Congolese rumba and electro sounds. During stage two of the process, it was back to Bamako, for another three-week session, this time in the studios of Manjul, a prominent rastaman installed in Mali. He has a clear idea: to use the same basic track, the same tempo, the same tones, but putting it into perspective with long-time friends, like the percussionist Boubacar Dembelé and Yaho the totemic bassist, and guests. Judge for yourself: Bassekou Kouyaté and his ngoni, Idrissa Soumaoro on kamele ngoni, Toumani Diabaté on kora, Zu Tereta on monochord fiddle, Tuareg guitarist Abdallah Oumbadougou: all the best subtle strings of the universe are on this record. This album sounds at once organic and electronic, both roots and rock, both retro and futuristic, and totally unlike anything else.
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