Globally acclaimed music phenomenon Africa Express is back with a new studio album. Africa Express Presents… Bahidorá, recorded in Mexico, is set for release on July 11 via World Circuit Records. The first two singles—“Mi Lado” featuring Alansito Vega, Poté & Mare Advertencia, and “Kuduro” featuring Fatoumata Diawara, Moonchild Sanelly & Tom Excell—are out now; stream/share both tracks alongside new videos HERE and watch/share the album trailer HERE.
Africa Express Presents… Bahidorá will be available digitally, as well as on double CD and double gatefold vinyl LP formats; order/pre-save the record HERE.
Africa Express ventured to the Americas for the first time in 2024 to headline the Mexican festival Bahidorá. An extraordinary group of musicians, singers, and DJs from around the world came together to rehearse, perform, and write new music ahead of an epic five-hour show on the banks of the ancient springs. Afterwards, they stayed on to record in field studios, tents, and hotel rooms. The result is this remarkable collection of 21 tracks—the project’s sixth album and its first since 2019’s Africa Express Presents… Egoli, which was recorded in Johannesburg.
An album like no other, Africa Express Presents… Bahidorá is a sonic journey that distills the joy of a musical adventure in Mexico into 21 extraordinary songs. Featuring artists from four continents but with roots firmly planted in Mexico, it entwines rich musical traditions ranging from cumbia, hip-hop, and kuduro to soul, salsa, and the sweetest pop.
“Mi Lado” is pure Latin-pop catchiness, with soulful vocals riding a reggaeton beat. It features quickfire Mexican rapper Mare Advertencia—a feminist activist whose lyrics often explore misogyny and gang violence—alongside St. Lucia–born electro artist Poté and LA-based producer Alansito Vega.
“Kuduro” is the fast-and-furious second track, in which two of Africa’s most distinctive female voices—Mali’s Fatoumata Diawara and South Africa’s Moonchild Sanelly—swap vocals over a pounding beat laid down by Tom Excell of Onipa. “Men come and go,” sings Moonchild resignedly. “They come back crying as if it were not them.”
Africa Express is an adventure and a journey, always evolving and exploring fresh musical boundaries. It is built on respect and champions a simple concept: we are stronger when we collaborate, communicate openly, and recognize that everyone has something to say. By breaking down barriers between nations, genders, generations, and genres, Africa Express embodies unity—a spirit perfectly captured by the eclecticism and sound of Africa Express Presents… Bahidorá.
This summer, Africa Express will hit the road across Europe, including stops at Roskilde Festival on July 6 and Barcelona’s Cruïlla Festival on July 11.
ABOUT AFRICA EXPRESS
Africa Express began in 2006 in Mali, connecting local stars Toumani Diabaté, Bassekou Kouyaté, and Amadou & Mariam with visiting artists such as Martha Wainwright, Fatboy Slim, and co-founder Damon Albarn. Now a globally renowned project, it never loses its capacity to surprise—whether live or on record. Africa Express has invited Western artists to the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, and Mali; staged collaborative seven-hour concerts from Liverpool to Lagos; taken a train of musicians around Britain for the London Olympics; reunited a Syrian orchestra divided by civil war; and recorded the first African interpretation of Terry Riley’s minimalist classic “In C.” Participating artists have included Baaba Maal, Blur, Charli XCX, Faia Younan, Femi Kuti, Flea, Franz Ferdinand, Kano, Oumou Sangaré, Paul McCartney, Paul Weller, Rachid Taha, Rokia Traoré, Tony Allen, and many others.
