Past Present Future

He may be almost 80, but Manu Dibango shows no sign of slowing. Both his sax playing and extraordinary basso vocals are in good health; the Paris-based Cameroonian elder statesman continues to work with a diverse range of musicians. Dibango first embraced hip– hop in the 90s and for Past Present Future he teams up with a group of urban music artists two generations younger than him, including young British producer and vocalist Wayne Beckford.

One track sums up the album. ‘Soul Makossa 2.0’, a reworking of Dibango’s 1972 hit, is an R&B club tune that retains the original’s innate funkiness but loses much of its soul. This problem persists throughout Past Present Future, which is part a Manu tribute and part a slickly produced, club-heavy soundtrack. There are moments to enjoy, especially where Dibango’s musical voice shines through. He plays some glorious lines on chanson instrumental piece ‘Paris Je t’Aime d’Amour’ and his vocals add punch to the swinging second number, ‘Afreedom’. Yet while big-band Afro-soul songs like ‘Africa’ benefit from the sophisticated production and Afro hip– hop swagger, a lighter touch from Beckford and co would have brought Dibango more to the fore and made Past Present Future a superior all-round listen. ‘This is the brand new Manu’, sings Beckford on the funky ‘Douala Memphis’. Sure. But with his remarkable staying power, hopefully there will be plenty more new Dibangos to come.