Amadou & Mariam to release 'La Vie Est Belle' compilation on 6th September - Hear rework of classic track 'Beaux Dimanches'
“We’ve always dreamed of tearing down walls and opening people's ears to new sounds so the whole world can discover and appreciate Malian music” Amadou & Mariam
Malian superstars Amadou & Mariam will release ‘La Vie Est Belle’ through Because Music on 6th September. The album, their first compilation since 2005’s 'L'Intégrale Des Années Maliennes', features their greatest hits, new exclusive tracks and is the perfect way to celebrate a career spanning almost 50 years. ‘La Vie Est Belle’ will be available digitally, on double vinyl and via a deluxe double CD edition with a bonus live performance from Eclipse on CD2. Amadou & Mariam have today unveiled a reworking of their classic track ‘Beaux Dimanches’ from the celebrated album ‘Dimanche à Bamako’:
LISTEN TO REWORK OF ‘BEAUX DIMANCHES’ HERE
WATCH LYRICO VIDEO HERE
Amadou Bagayoko and Mariam Doumbia first met at the Bamako Institute for Young Blind People in Mali in the 70s. The couple went on to captivate audiences throughout Mali and the Ivory Coast in the 80s before being spotted in the early 90s by maverick talent scout Marc-Antoine Moreau, who would later become their manager, encouraging them to go international.
A key moment in their career occurred at the 1998 Transmusicales Festival in Rennes, France. The duo presented their second album ‘Sou Ni Ti Le’, which featured their new song in French ‘Je Pense À Toi’. “There were so many people there. We didn't know anyone and no one knew us.’ recall Amadou & Mariam. ”But we really set the place on fire. There were so many encores. I'll never forget that first show at the festival”. Since that day, the chorus “Je pense à toi, mon amour, ma bien aimée” has become a radio favourite and one of the first refrains to be indelibly associated with the couple's musical identity. It comes as no surprise that the song takes pride of place on the greatest hits compilation ‘La Vie Est Belle’.
The collection also contains new material, notably ‘Mogolu’, which was released last month. A mixture of infectious Afro-beat rhythms and hypnotic melodies that fuse traditional instruments with modern, electronic sounds, ‘Mogolu’ represents everything that is magical and powerful about this irresistible duo.
‘La Vie Est Belle’ also marks the 20th anniversary of another celebrated album from the Malian couple, ‘Dimanche A Bamako’. Produced by and featuring Manu Chao, the record sold over 500,000 copies internationally, was certified ‘triple platinum’ in France, spent 101 weeks in its Top Albums charts, won a ‘Victoire de la Musique’ Award and two BBC Radio 3 Awards.
The 2000’s continued to be a prolific period for the duo, with Damon Albarn joining them on the album ‘Welcome To Mali’ (Because Music 2008) and producing the powerful ‘Sabali’, which opens the compilation. Their artistic partnership continued with the hybrid project ‘Africa Express’, featuring Johnny Marr and Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers. The phenomenon also featured performances with Amadou's idol David Gilmour, Sir Paul McCartney, Fatoumata Diawara, Cheik Tidiane Seck, Tony Allen, Salif Keïta, Oumou Sangaré, Rachid Taha, Catherine Ringer, Roots Manuva, Fatboy Slim, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, The Kooks and many others.
“That's when we realised our music had something universal about it, even when we sing in Bambara” reflects Amadou.
‘La Vie Est Belle’ includes two other collaborations from ‘Welcome To Mali’, ‘Masiteladi’ with guest star M and ‘Africa’ with K’Naan. During this period, the duo made a string of international appearances, including opening for Coldplay on their U.S. tour, then for U2 in South Africa, performing with Blur in Hyde Park and as special guests at Barack Obama's Nobel Peace Prize ceremony. In June 2010 and 2014, ‘Amadou & Mariam’ performed at the opening ceremonies of the Fifa World Cup.
In 2011, the Malian couple were invited by the Manchester International Festival to perform in complete darkness at the New Century Hall. The experience, dubbed ‘Eclipse’, was replicated in London and Paris, offering an insight into how music feels to the blind. A recorded and illustrated live version of Oxmo Puccino's recounting of their lives is available on CD 2 of the compilation’s deluxe CD edition.
Other collaborators featured on the collection, include Santigold, TV On The Radio, Scissors Sisters, Amp Fiddler, Ebony Bones and Theophilius London. The eponymous track ‘La Vie Est Belle’, produced by Busy Twist, gives us a glimpse of what to expect from the duo in the future... “We love listening to all kinds of music so we can feed our sound with new influences,” explains Mariam. “Mixing different types and genres of music is something we're really passionate about. There are no boundaries when it comes to music. We've matured with and through other artists.”
'La Vie Est Belle – Best Of' Track Listing:
1. Sabali
2. Mogolu
3. Beaux Dimanches
4. Ce N’est Pas Bon
5. Masiteladi feat M
6. La Vie est Belle
7. La Réalité
8. Bofou Safou
9. Sénégal Fast Food
10. MBife
11. Dougou Badia feat Santigold
12. Je Pense À Toi (Eclipse Version)
13. Africa feat K’NAAN
14. Wily Kataso feat TV On The Radio
15. C’est Chaud
16. Coulibaly (Akon remix)
17. Beaux Dimanches (2024 rework)
18. Sete feat Blond:ish, Francis Mercier
TOUR DATES
02/06/24 - Bushfire Festival - Malkerns, Swaziland
15/06/24 - Eden Festival - Dumfries & Galloway, UK
17/06/24 - Migration Matters Festival - Leadmill - Sheffield, UK
23/06/24 - La Bonne Venture - Dunkerke, France
25/06/24 - Botanicka Basta - Belgrade, Serbia
28/06/24 - Le Broc Festival - Le Broc, France
29/06/24 - Kampagn'Arts Festival - Saint Paterne, France
30/06/24 - L'Escale - Goussainville, France
04/07/24 - Clandestino Festival - Göteborg, Sweden
06/07/24 - Les Murmures du Temps - Arbresle, France
12/07/24 - Somerset House Summer Series - London, UK
17/07/24 - Festival sur le Champ - Valence, France
19/07/24 - Les Pluies de Juillet - Le Tanu, France
20/07/24 - Mammouth Festival - Saint Fargeau, France
21/07/24 - Le Pied Orange Festival - Le Val d’Ajol, France
26/07/24 - WOMAD - Charlton Park, UK
27/07/24 - Esperanzah - Floreffe, Belgium
US Tour with Andrew Bird:
08/08/24 - Rock the Ruins - Indianapolis, IN
09/08/24 - Meijer Garden - Grand Rapids, MI
10/08/24 - Royal Oak Music Theater - Detroit,MI
12/08/24 - l'Olympia - Montreal,QC, Canada
13/08/24 - Frog Alley Summerstage - Schenectady, NY
15/08/23 - Tree House Brewing - Deerfield, MA
16/08/24 - Pier 17 - New York, NY
17/08/24 - The Levitt Pavilion - Connecticut
18/08/24 - Venue TBA - Kennett Square, PA
20/08/24 - North Carolina Museum of Art - Raleigh, NC
21/08/24 - Filene Center (Wolf Trap) - Vienna, VA
05/09/24 - Melkweg - Amsterdam, Netherlands
08/09/24 - Delta Festival - Marseille, France
21/09/24 - Cankarjev Dom - Ljublijana, Slovenia
16/10/24 - Biehubeli - Bern, Switzerland
17/10/24 - Théâtre du Crochetan - Monthey, Switzerland
19/10/24 - Centre Culturel Athena - Auray, France
20/10/24 - Salle Eden - Saint-Jean-d'Angély, France
28/10/24 - House of Culture - Helsinki, Finland
02/11/24 - Espace Glenmor - Carhaix, France
WATCH 'MOGOLU' VIDEO HERE
PRE-ORDER 'LA VIE EST BELLE' HERE
