These two releases have come out with little fanfare, which belies what is a unique musical pairing. Berlin’s Mark Ernestus is one of electronic music’s genuine pioneers and innovators, and was one half of Rhythm & Sound and Basic Channel. The latter made hypnotic soundscapes with subtle rhythmic and melodic shifts, and there are echoes of a similar approach in this latest project. These two albums hear the application of his considerable production skills to Jeri-Jeri, an mbalax band from Senegal. Jeri-Jeri consist of a group of top-flight local musicians, aided by luminaries such as Baaba Maal and Doudou N’diaye Rose. Tracks such as ‘Xale’ and ‘Gawlo’ display the band’s take on this tradition, with an even balance of heavy drums leavened by bubbling keyboard patterns and soaring vocals. The dense music really benefits from the clarity of Ernestus’ mix. Instrumental cuts such as ‘Walo’ underscore the ebb and flow between the snatches of melody and the raw percussive grooves.

Ernestus’ music has often taken its lead from Jamaica, and it is in this same spirit that both the vocal versions and dub versions are released here as separate CDs, the benefit of the latter being that the quality of the musicianship and the production really shine through.