African Express - Various Artists

If your preconceived notion of African music is something along the lines of a mélange of simple beat patterns and tribal chants, allow Shakti Records to provide you with a fresh definition. AFRICAN XPRESS focuses on African music of the nu-school variety, where West African traditions are deftly fused with electronic club and trip-hop beats, tranced-out keyboard effects, mellow acid jazz textures and a healthy dose of funk. This is no arbitrarily chosen roster either; you have tracks from Afrobeat's leading innovators Afro Celt Sound System, Ethiopian star Gigi, blast-from-the-past nouveau soul pioneer Tony Allen, Malian experimentalist Issa Bagayogo and many more. Welcome to the new sound of Africa!