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
Entendre cover

Entendre

Nik Bärtsch
Heels Over Head cover

Heels Over Head

Billy Martin's Wicked Knee
Made Possible cover

Made Possible

The Bad Plus
An Aural Symbiotic Mystery cover

An Aural Symbiotic Mystery

Charlemagne Palestine, Tony Conrad
Technodelic cover

Technodelic

Yellow Magic Orchestra
The Melodic Line cover

The Melodic Line

Vincent Courtois, Reverso, Frank Woeste, Ryan Keberle
At Devil’s Fork cover

At Devil’s Fork

The Neon Judgement
About Time cover

About Time

New York Gong, Daevid Allen
In for a Penny, In for a Pound cover

In for a Penny, In for a Pound

Henry Threadgill Zooid