Africa Express - Terry Riley's in C Mali (2014)

Last year, the Africa Express collective headed to Berlin and, under the watchful eye of conductor Andre De Ridder, laid down a recording of Terry Riley's minimalist masterpiece In C. It was particularly fitting, given that it was recorded almost exactly 50 years to the day since the piece, which features 53 musical phrases repeated in sequence at the musicians' discretion, was first performed in public. Featuring an all-star cast of African musicians and like-minded guests (think Brian Eno, Damon Albarn and Yeah Yeah Yeah's guitarist Nick Zinner), it's a playful and thoroughly enjoyable interpretation, with the hypnotic appeal and simple beauty of Riley's original score brought alive via the use of traditional Malinese percussion and instrumentation.