Star 17 July 2023

Ali Farka Touré is well known as one of the most influential and talented guitarists that Africa has ever produced. His legacy and impact are hard to overstate: Ali’s sound merged his much-loved traditional Malian musical styles with distinct elements of the blues, resulting in the creation of a groundbreaking new genre, now well known as the ‘desert blues’, earning him 3 Grammy awards and widespread reverence. 'Voyageur' is the first release of previously unheard music since 2006’s 'Savane', and features a collection of recordings captured at various points in Ali’s illustrious career. The album, which features fellow Malian superstar Oumou Sangaré on 3 tracks, reaffirms Ali’s status as a globally revered legend of African music.

Demon Music kick off an Ocean Colour Scene reissue campaign with Yesterday Today 1992-2018, a massive 15CD box set. The large format package Includes all 10 of their studio albums. They are: Ocean Colour Scene (1992), Moseley Shoals (1996), Marchin’ Already (1997), One For The Modern (1999) , Mechanical Wonder (2001), North Atlantic Drift (2003), A Hyperactive Workout For The Flying Squad (2005), On The Leyline (2007), Saturday (2010), and Painting (2013). Additionally, there’s five bonus discs featuring a very large selection of B-sides and rarities including the Free inspired ‘So Sad’ and ‘Men Of Such Opinion’, ‘Huckleberry Grove’ featuring the Jamaican ska legend Rico Rodriguez, and the more sedate ballads ‘Robin Hood’, ‘I Need A Love Song’ and ‘Mrs Jones’ and a cover of ‘Day Tripper’, featuring Noel and Liam Gallagher. The package offers 230 tracks in total.

London 1651: the third year of Civil War. Opera houses and theatres are shut down, but the nightlife is buzzing: people enjoy a few hours of escape thanks to carefree dancing, cheerful songs and good drinks, living for today and not tomorrow. There’s so much life in the traditional tunes, virtuosic divisions and popular songs that were well-known thanks to the theatres! PRISMA takes us on a trip through the bars and pubs of London and explores the British dance music of the seventeenth century. This program comprises melodies from the famous collection The English Dancing Master , as well as music from The Division Violin , Scottish and Irish folk tunes, and even some later hits like Danny Boy – all served up in PRISMA’s spontaneous and lively signature style!