Afropop Worldwide

Two of the continent's living musical legends have joined forces. In anticipation for her forthcoming album, Oumou Sangaré, the legendary Malian singer, has released a track featuring Tony Allen, the percussion pioneer behind Fela Kuti's famous Afrobeat. The song is called “Yere Faga” and can be heard below. [soundcloud url="https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/305565876" params="auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true" width="100%" height="450" iframe="true" /] Sangaré's voice is, by now, a famous instrument, and if “Yere Faga” is any indication of how her album, titled Mogoya, is going to sound, the production is a worthy counterpoint. Sangaré says she was looking for a more modern sound, “to satisfy young people in Mali,” adding, “but being careful, all the while, to respect my culture and my tradition.” She recorded in Paris with the French production team A.L.B.E.R.T., who have worked with the likes of Air, Charlotte Gainsbourg, and Beck. Tony Allen now joins a pantheon of musical giants who have collaborated with Sangaré that ranges from the Senegalese percussionist Cheikh Lo to the American banjoist Bela Fleck. Mogoya is coming out on May 3 on the label No Format, and is available for pre-order now.