Over the last few years we've developed an obsession with half a dozen or so Malian albums that have charmed and beguiled us into submission. These include Ali Farka Toure & Toumani Diabate's magical "In the Heart of the Moon", Bassekou Kouyate & Ngoni Ba's award winning "Segu Blue" and the amazing 'Belle Epoque' series of releases compiling the work of Mali's long-running Rail Band. The guitar and Kora playing at the heart of much of this music joins the dots between various forms of African Pop music and a deep kind of Blues that has drawn the interest of a stream of notable western artists ranging from Damon Albarn and his exceptional "Mali Music" set for Honest Jon's to Bjork's more recent collaborations with Toumani Diabate, providing the standout tracks on her last album "Volta". This selection here includes pieces from the aforementioned albums, as well as tracks from the likes of Zoumana Diarra, Boubacar Traoré and Orchestre Regional De Kayes, and steers away from the dusty clichés so often associated with African music, instead offering a window into a world of indescribable vibrancy and beauty.