Sunshine, Desert

Sunshine, abundant in the deserts, hot during the day, cool in the night but comfortable and dry in the evenings the time for song and dance. Plenty of highly skilled musicians in this post, Mandingo, Zani Diabate and Ali Farka Toure extend their family tradition, a tradition that is deeply embedded in the desert culture just listen to Under African Skies II. Along the Mediterranean coast in Algeria a 'punk' movement swept thru the region, Raï which translates as opinion and the artists (male and female) certainly had one, they resisted the old ways and islamic rules and understandably grew very popular with the youths no one more so then Cheb Khaled, but there were others as the Raï compilation shows.
Anyway it was not to be, 91 war was declared on the most liberal arab dictator, feeding the frenzy of the local fundamentalists and 16 years later he we are, feeding the oilcompanies, with fear and anger all over the western and arab world. Those responsible still in power and expecting a big reward for their dark souls.

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VA - Under African Skies II
Mandingo - Watto Sitta
Zani Diabate and the Super Djata band - I
Khaled - Khaled
Ali Farka Toure ft Ry Cooder - Talking Timbuktu
VA - RAI
VA - Passion Sources
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March 2015 complete re-up in Flac

VA - Under African Skies II ( Flac 231mb)

All the tracks on this album were 'live' recorded on location for the BBC II "Under African Skies "TV series. They have not been remixed or touched upon, no apologies for the directness of the performences, close your eyes and share the experience. African Desert from music Mali, Ethiopia



01 - Baba Sangare of R.T.M. - Bonjour Mali (Mali) (0:45)
02 - Kolly et Ses Acolytes - Suave Nina (Mali) (5:54)
03 - Tata Bambo Kouyate - Yasoumounka (Mali) (6:19)
04 - The Rail Band - Sanankoro Moriba (Mali) (3:34)
05 - Le Super Biton De Segou - Se Se Wa Bena (Mali) (3:23)
06 - Kassemady & Lafia Diabate - Koulanjan (Mali) (2:30)
07 - Mamo Chala with singers of The National Theatre - Dini Demeke (Ethopia) (2:50)
08 - Neway Debebe - Yetkemt Abeba (Ethopia) (3:32)
09 - Aster Aweke - Wolela (Ethopia) (4:44)
10 - Mohammed Ahmed & The Roha Band - Ya Selame Lalo (Ethopia) (3:06)
11 - Bezawork Asfew - T'Zeta (Ethopia) (8:54)

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Mandingo - Watto Sitta ( 85 Flac 226mb)

The Mandinka (also known as Mandingo) are a Mande people of West Africa, all descend physically or culturally from the ancient Mali Empire. Mandinka gained their independence from previous empires in the thirteenth century, and founded an empire which stretched across West Africa. They migrated west from the Niger River basin in search of better agricultural lands and more opportunities for conquest. During this expansion, they established their rule from modern day Gambia to Guinea. Their culture is rich in tradition, music, and spiritual ritual. Mandinkas live in an oral society. Learning is traditionally done through stories, songs and proverbs.

This rich oral history is passed down through praise singers or griots. This passing down of oral history through music has made music one of the most distinctive traits of the Mandinka. They have long been known for their drumming and also for their unique musical instrument, the kora. The kora is a twenty-one string harp-like instrument made out of a gourd covered with cow skin. The strings are made of fishing line. It is played to accompany a griot's singing or simply on its own. The kora with its 21 strings is made from half a calabash, “covered with cowshed fastened on by decorative tacks.” The kora has sound holes in the side which are used to store coins offered to the praise singers, in appreciation of their performance. It is said “as the kora is played, it begins to take on a life of its own and it is believed that the singer and the instrument become one.”

Foday Musa Suso is a Mandingo griot (the griot is the hereditary musician/oral historian of the Mandingo people). He is a virtuoso kora player, drummer, and composer. Suso was born in the Sarre Hamadi Village, Wuli District, in the West African nation of Gambia. Initially taught by his father, at the age of eleven Suso was sent away to study under a master kora player, Saikou Suso. After undergoing seven years of rigorous study, at age eighteen he became a full-fledged griot. He then journeyed throughout Africa singing traditional Mandingo songs, and played clubs, concerts, and radio and television programs in Germany, France, Sweden, and Finland. From 1975 through 1977 he held the post of Kora Instructor at the Institute of African Studies, University of Ghana. On Watto Sitta finds the kora master collaborating with Herbie Hancock, Aiyb Dieng, and Bill Laswell to produce an eclectic cross between Afropop and electronic dance music. He has performed with Philip Glass and the Kronos Quartet. He was also a co-founder of the fusion jazz band The Mandingo Griot Society



01 - Harima (6:03)
02 - Muso (6:18)
03 - Natural Dancer (6:13)
04 - Kansala (5:56)
05 - Dewgal (6:16)
06 - Don't Worry (5:24)

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Zani Diabate and the Super Djata band - I ( 86 Flac 211mb)

Zani Diabaté (1947) born into a well known griot family therefor his life was pre-destined for music.After the rigurous training multi instrumentalist (kora, guitar, percussion, balafon ) dancer and singer Zani joined the National Ballet of Mali( the countries first folkloric ensemble) in 63 . He formed the Super Djata Band in 69 together with 6 collegues of the ballet
Zani Diabaté translated traditional rhythms and melodies to a modern (electric) African instrumentatium where he mixes the electric guitar and drims with traditional instruments as balafoon en djembé. His guitar style was inspired by the likes of J Hendrix, BB and Freddie King, however always remaining true to his roots. After a succesful tour in france in 84 they released their first album in 86 , best selling african record in the Netherlands in 86. In 89 they split up ZAni left the rest went on as
Benkadi International, recently they reunited for a tour.



01 - Super Djata
02 - Bina
03 - Djegnogo Djougou
04 - Bandjila
05 - Tindoro
06 - Noumousso
07 - Facia
08 - Farima
09 - Fadingna Kouma

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Khaled - Khaled ( 92 Flac 312mb)

Khaled Hadj Brahim, better known to music fans as the Algerian Rai star Khaled, was born in a suburb of Oran. His early influences were mostly Oriental - a lot of Moroccan singers - but western rock'n' roll heroes such as Elvis Presley and the French star Johnny Hallyday didnt go unnoticed either. At the age of 7 Khaled vowed that he would one day follow in the footsteps of his musical idols and launch his own singing career. The only problem was that young Khaled had practically no day-to-day contact with the music world. Khaled decided he would make his own way in the music world and at the age of 14 he formed his first group, "Les Cinq Etoiles", and began performing at circumcision feasts and wedding parties as well as on the local cabaret scene, he dropped out of school and lo and behold his first single in 1974, "Trig El Lici" proved a massive hit on Algerian radio stations, attracting 14 year old Khaled an instant following of fans. He became known as Cheb Khaled (Cheb basically means 'young', 'charming' and 'attractive'), btw he would not earn a penny in royalties from his first hit, owing to a lack of recording contract.

Rai music would begin taking off in a major way in the late 70's, attracting an extensive following of teenage fans in Oran. Algerian youngsters immediately tuned into this new form of urban music, enjoying the controversial lyrics which urged them to enjoy alcohol, sexual liberation and ignore social mores. Khaled was soon hailed as one of the leading chebs in the Oran Rai movement. With his deep, baleful voice evoking the spirit of North African blues and his exuberant personality urging youngsters to let their hair down and party, Khaled came to symbolise the rich musical melting-pot of Rai.

By the age of 20, Khaled was already beginning to dream of making it big in France. For the ambitious young Rai singer, France represented a Utopian land of freedom where teenagers could party the night away and young lovers could walk hand in hand down the street without fear of retribution. Khalad's dream of performing in France would not come true right away, however. It would take another six years before he set foot on French soil, when he was invited to appear at the prestigious Rai Festival held in Bobigny

In 1988 the Rai star would return to the studio to record his debut album in France. Working with the renowned French 'world music' producer Martin Meissonnier, and the respected Algerian musician Safy Boutella, Khaled recorded "Kutché" (88) . In spite of the fact that Khaled's French album benefited from more sophisticated production techniques than his earlier Algerian work, the album "Kutché" was only moderately successful. Back at home in Algeria, however, things were proving increasingly difficult for Khaled. Renowned as an exuberant bon vivant and defender of the controversial Rai movement, Khaled was under threat from the rising tide of fundamentalism sweeping through Algeria in the late 80's and he would eventually leave Algeria to settle in France.
But it was the release of the Algerian singer's second album in 1992, which would transform Khaled , he dropped the prefix Cheb, into a veritable international star. The album "Khaled" - recorded partly in Brussels with the aid of producer Michael Brook, partly in Los Angeles with the legendary Don Was - would generate a whole string of hits for the Rai star including the best-selling "Didi". This single would not only rocket to the top of the French Top 50 (making it the first song recorded in Arabic to chart in France !), but "Didi" would also soar to the top of the hit-parade in Israel, Egypt and Saudi Arabia. "Didi" also became a surprise hit in India, where it was covered in Hindi.

Khaled continued his vertiginous rise to international stardom, the singer's relationship with his homeland became ever more compromised. Religious fundamentalists were by now omnipresent in Algeria and Khaled's defence of free speech and easy living would have made him a prime target if he had chosen to return to his homeland. Khaled was thus condemned to a life of exile. No surprise then he's deemed non grata by the homeland fundamentalists in the USA, anyway after settling down somewhat, marying-fatherhood his output became sketchy, combined with falling out with his record label. He's released Kenza(named after his daughter) in 99 and "Ya-Rayi" ("My Opinion"), in 2004. All the while he's been touring the globe, and even his homeland again.



01 - Didi (4:59)
02 - El Arbi (3:32)
03 - Wahrane (4:25)
04 - Ragda (3:48)
05 - El Ghatli (4:05)
06 - Liah Liah (4:19)
07 - Mauvais Sang (6:11)
08 - Braya (4:44)
09 - Ne M'En Voulez Pas (4:55)
10 - Sbabi (4:03)
11 - Harai Harai (3:57)


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Ali Farka Toure ft Ry Cooder - Talking Timbuktu ( Flac 321mb)

Ali Farka Toure was born in 1939 on the banks of the Niger River in northwestern Malian region of Tombouctou. He was the tenth son of his mother but the only one to survive past infancy. His nickname, “Farka”, chosen by his parents, means “donkey” - an animal admired for its tenacity and stubbornness.

As the first African bluesman to achieve widespread popularity on his home continent, Touré was often known as “the African John Lee Hooker”. Musically, the many superpositions of guitars and rhythms in his music were similar to John Lee Hooker’s hypnotic blues style. He usually sang in one of several African languages. His international breakthrough album, Ali Farka Touré (88), established his reputation in the world music community. His 6th World Circuit album 1994’s Talking Timbuktu, a collaboration with Ry Cooder, sold well in western markets and got him his first Grammy Award. After a hiatus from releases in America and Europe Touré reappeared in 1999 with the release of Niafunké.

In 2004 Touré became mayor of Niafunké and spent his own money grading the roads, putting in sewer canals and fuelling a generator that provided the impoverished town with electricity.In September 2005, he released the album In the Heart of the Moon, a collaboration with Toumani Diabaté, for which he received a second Grammy award. On 7 March 2006 the Ministry of Culture of Mali announced Touré 's death at age 66 in Bamako from bone cancer, against which he had been battling for some time. His last album, Savane, was posthumously released in July 2006. It was received with wide acclaim by professionals and fans alike and has been nominated for a Grammy Award in the category “Best Contemporary World Music Album”



01 - Bonde (5:28)
02 - Soukora (6:05)
03 - Gomni (7:00)
04 - Sega (3:10)
05 - Amandrai (9:23)
06 - Lasidan (6:06)
07 - Keito (5:42)
08 - Banga (2:32)
09 - Ai Du (7:09)
10 - Diaraby (7:26)


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VA - Raï ( 88 Flac 366mb)

Singers of raï are called cheb (young) as opposed to sheikh (old) the name given to Chaabi music singers; the tradition arose in cities like Oran, primarily among the poor. The word raï means literally opinion . Chaba Fadela and Cheb Khaled began their careers mid seventies, growing raï's popularity across Algeria. Chaba Fadela's 1979 "Ana ma h'lali ennoum" is considered the beginning of modern pop raï; the song was a hit across Algeria, and set the stage for raï's domination of national listeners. International success had begun as early as 1976 with the success of Rachid Baba Ahmed, raï music’s most important producer.

In the 1980s, raï began its period of greatest popularity. In 1986, the first state-sanctioned raï festival was held in Algeria, and a festival was also held in Bobigny, France. Cheb Khaled was the first international superstar. His 1988 Kutché album did the most to popularize him and the whole genre of raï. Other prominent performers of the 80s included Houari Benchenet, Raïna Raï, Mohamed Sahraoui, Cheb Mami and Cheb Hamid. International success grew in the 1990s, when Cheb Khaled's 1992 single Didi was a major French hit and also saw success in India and elsewhere. With Khaled no longer in Algeria, new stars began singing lover's raï, a sentimental, pop-ballad form best-known for stars like Cheb Tahar, Cheb Nasro and, especially, Cheb Hasni. Later in the decade, funk, hip hop and other influences were added to raï, especially by performers like the French star Faudel and raï-rock fusionist Rachid Taha.



01 - Cheb Kaled - Mazalti S'Ghira (6:04)
02 - Cheb Hamid - Saber Inal (5:47)
03 - Chaba Fadela and Cheb Sahraoui - Lahramia (5:10)
04 - Chaba Fadela and Cheb Sahraoui - Ana Nabghik (7:50)
05 - Hindi - Lachkine (7:56)
06 - Amarna - Nia (5:26)
07 - Zahouani - Malade Mentale (7:07)
08 - Abdel Hak - Nar G'Date (5:37)
09 - Benchenette - L'Amour Force (5:05)

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VA - Passion Sources ( Flac 226mb)

Passion - Sources is Peter Gabriel's compilation of songs by various artists from the deserts of Egypt, Ethiopia, Guinea, Iran, Morocco, Pakistan, and Senegal . Gabriel describes the album as "a selection of some of the traditional music, sources of inspiration, and location recordings." The album largely eschews modern Western instruments and production techniques, and consists of studio recordings (produced at Gabriel's Real World Studios and elsewhere), location recordings made during the filming of The Last Temptation of Christ, and selections from existing sound recordings.. A great introduction to Jesus's musical roots A diverse range of styles and cultures, wonderful songs performed by excellent traditional artists.



01 - Nusrat Ali K - Shamas-Ud
02 - Baaba Maal - Call To Prayer
03 - The Epidemics - Sankarabara
04 - Kudsi Erguner - Ulvi
05 - Hossam Ramsi - Fallahi
06 - Sabahiya - Sabahiya
07 - Ethiopian Musicians - Tejbeit
08 - Lahamoud Zadeh - Prelude In Tchahargah
09 - Morrocan Musicians - Wedding Song
10 - Abdul El-Sayed - Magdelene's House
11 - Fatala - Yoky
12 - Nas El Ghinwane - Ya Sah
13 - Al Nahla Al 'Ali - Al Nahla Al 'Ali
14 - Antranik and Khatchadou - Song of Complaint

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All downloads are in * ogg-7 (224k) or ^ ogg-9(320k), artwork is included , if in need get the nifty ogg encoder/decoder here !