Album: Bassekou Kouyate & Ngoni Ba, Jama Ko (Out Here Records)

Mali is music, and this fact is exemplified by this master of the ngoni. The band's first album was all about texture and rhythmic complexity, their second introduced electricity and effects pedals.

On this third, Kouyate harnesses the ersatz power of rock technology to the real power generated by the anger he felt at the military coup that took place in Bamako on the day recording began. The end result is a tense, powerful and emotive piece of work.