Africa Express Presents…Terry Riley’s In C Mali cover

Africa Express Presents…Terry Riley’s In C Mali

Composer
Released

Tery Riley’s In C is a series of melodic fragments in the titular key to be repeated at will by the individual players in a large ensemble. This version, recorded in Bamako and Berlin, features balafons, baritone-guitar, calabash, djembe, flutes, guitars, imzad, kalimbas, kamel n’goni, koras, melodica, violin and vocals among many other instruments and must certainly rank among the most instantly appealing of versions. It’s no surprise, maybe, that the West African players — being well versed in complex and open ended rhythmic interplay — take Riley’s intent and run with it, but that instant, fun, modern-sounding groove is startling nonetheless. Big names like Brian Eno, Nick Zinner of Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Africa Express dynamo Damon Albarn contribute but their egos never intrude. It builds steadily over the first third or so, then for the rest of the 40 minutes just flows like a bubbling river in spring. It sounds better the louder you play it, and if there’s a club DJ brave enough to play the full thing they could reap huge rewards.

Joe Muggs

Suggestions
Accelerando cover

Accelerando

Vijay Iyer Trio
Your Turn cover

Your Turn

Marc Ribot's Ceramic Dog
Gateau D'Espace cover

Gateau D'Espace

Terminal Cheesecake
Third cover

Third

Portishead
Transport cover

Transport

Borderland, Juan Atkins, Moritz von Oswald
Unrest cover

Unrest

Henry Cow
No New York cover

No New York

Various Artists
The Call Within cover

The Call Within

Tigran Hamasyan