Africa Express returned last week for more cross-continental collaboration, this time with a week of recording in Bamako. International creatives the likes of project founder Damon Albarn, Olugbenga, Brian Eno, Nick Zinner (Yeah Yeah Yeahs), Holy Other, and Ghostpoet joined forces with a renaissance generation in Mali's music industry— a lineup of Malian artists that included Adama Koita, Bijou, Doucoura, Gambari, Kankou Kouyaté, Lobi Traoré Band, Moussa Traoré, Songhoy Blues, Talbi, Tiemoko Sogodogo and the Yacuba Sissoko Band. Over the course of seven days the project forged a temporary studio in a Bamako youth club. The fruit of their week-long (or rather, just one week-long) recording efforts comes in the form of an 11-track debut LP named after their Maison Des Jeunes studio home. For the first taste Timbuktu indie band Songhoy Blues linked up with Yeah Yeah Yeahs guitarist Nick Zinner for a Bombinofied showcase of always mesmerizing desert blues. Watch the video for "Soubour" below and check out the full track-list for Maison Des Jeunes, which drops on digital release December 9th via Transgressive Records.
