mp3: AMADOU AND MARIAM coulibaly (mikey j remix feat. kano)
amadou and mariam have been playing infectious afroblues for over three decades, finally laying down recorded material with ‘se te djon ye’ in 1999. with the help of parisian musician manu chao, the duo sprung deep into the limelight with their 2005 release “dimanche √Ü bamako”. it became “the album to champion” not only from traditional world music critics, but also from the wider musical community – the crowning moment of their ascendency being the bagging of the ‘album of the year’ and ‘african artists of the year’ awards at the recent bbc awards for world music.
inevitably, their success spawned a few remixes, in an effort to expand their market wider – from ashley beedle and the oddly titled mo dj (whose mixes can be streamed from his site, but seemingly unavailable for purchase). beedle’s remixes are getting a reissue next week along with mixes from akon, fred chichin and the above mix from mikey j (via pitchfork). curiously, mikey j ropes in grime mc kano for a drop-in verse, a witty and refreshing spin on the hip hop cameo.
check the pitchfork article for amadou and mariam live dates in new york and london in the coming weeks. as for kano, he’s working on his second album, the follow up to 2005’s “home sweet home” – collaborators include jamaican mc vybz kartel.