Presented in collaboration with Modo Live and Eggplant.
Dubbed the Hendrix of the Sahara, Vieux Farka Touré was born in Niafunké, Mali in 1981. He is the son of legendary Malian guitar player Ali Farka Touré, who died in 2006. His live performances are highly energized, and Vieux is known for dazzling crowds with his speed and dexterity on the guitar, as well as his palpable charisma and luminous smile, both of which captivate audiences despite any language barriers (though Vieux does speak eight languages!).
Vieux will be performing stellar works from his latest albums. The two 2022 records, Ali and Les Racines (French for “the roots”), each take distinctly different directions from each other and from the virtuoso’s previous projects. His past albums play with reggae and dub-reggae effects, interweaving diverse notes of rock, funk, Latin, and dance-remix influences. Here, he veers towards the sounds of his birthplace of Niafunké, Mali, in some of his most mesmerizing tunes to date.
Ali is an homage to Touré’s late father, internationally renowned Malian singer-musician Ali Farka Touré, made in collaboration with Texas-based psychedelic-jazz-fusion trio Khruangbin. Touré covers his father’s songs on the album; the result is a deeply personal output of layered, traditional sounds that’s certainly easy on the ears.
In Les Racines, timeless grooves blend with fiery urgency in tracks that draw upon traditional West African music. Touré calls for peace amid civil war in “Ngala Kaourene”, and expresses tenderness in love song “Flany Konare”.
Over the past decade, Touré has continued to build a name for himself with his musical prowess. In 2010, he performed at the first-ever FIFA World Cup Kick-Off concert alongside the likes of Shakira, Alicia Keys, and the Black Eyed Peas, and he has received much critical praise for his sizable discography.