I’ve been scanning hundreds of albums for the last 30 minutes desperately trying to remember the name of a 1960s American rock band. It’s on the tip of my tongue.. I can hear the song.. I can even see the song- an awkward, mid-1960s southern American singer with a high-pitched voice. It’s just not coming to me.

Luckily, Ibrahim Hamma Dicko’s voice also reminds me a lot of Neil Young. (And, by extension, My Morning Jacket, but I’ll leave that for the indie blogs.)

I’m always on the look-out for good mixtape pairings. You know what I mean- when that song slips into the next “like a bee to the motherhive.” Back when I used to take the time to properly mix it was all about levels, style and BPM.. less so now. But the order of the tracks is still very important. I remember a particularly successful mix many years back where The Zombies slid effortlessly into the Thievery Corporation which then fed some French female rnb. Suddenly someone from my father’s generation is grooving to downtempo that they’d otherwise never think to touch.

Similarly, I love the mental transition that happens when, say, I’m listening to Ibrahim Hamma Dicko and feeling like I’m on a bus in the middle of Mali. Suddenly, Heart of Gold comes on and I’m back in my parents car on a 24hr road-trip to the Atlantic for a camping trip. Both great road trips, both now part of my travel memory soundtrack.

What are your favourite African roadtrip tunes? Aside, of course, from “Youssou N’Dour: Live at Bercy”: the unofficial Only Tape Allowed in Senegalese taxis and buses.

Ibrahim Hamma Dicko – Badi Tiba
Neil Young – Heart Of Gold