Ne La Thiass

Produced by Youssou N'Dour at his Xippi studios in Dakar, the domestic cassette of Cheikh Lô's Ne La Thiass set Senegal alight in the '90s. Now, over 20 years later, the legendary cassette mixes have been found and mastered and are made available for the first time outside Africa alongside the original cover artwork. Cheikh Lô has created an inspired and sensual acoustic/electric mix which embraces double bass, acoustic guitars, talking drum, flute and a hint of electric bass and keyboards. Rare mbalax rhythms infuse this exuberant album with rippling tides of energy but the mood is strikingly Latin - the spiritual soundtrack to the summer.