Baaba Maal – ‘Freak Out (Baba Ali Remix)’

There’s an exhilarating revamp of Baaba Maal‘s swaggering electro-alert ‘Freak Out’ out today, remixed with typical vim and vigour by electropunkdisco unit Baba Ali. The Relived Mix of ‘Freak Out’ follows Baaba Maal’s joyous performance at London’s Barbican last week, enthralling an audience who had their awareness raised and their hearts lifted.

‘Freak Out (Baba Ali Remix)’ – watch the visualiser here.

Manic Anglo-American musical magpie duo, Baba Ali, combine New Yorker Baba Doherty and London multi-instrumentalist Nik Balchin. Talking about their remix, Baba Ali said:

“From the original version of the song, the heavy distortion on the vocals was what immediately grabbed us. Baaba Maal has a naturally beautiful and melodic voice, so it was really exciting to hear it with so much grit and edge. As a duo we came at this remix from two different angles: one being inspired by krautrock and the other electro-funk, with a euphoric moment of psychedelia in the middle.”

The original track ‘Freak Out’ is the second track on Baaba Maal’s widely acclaimed latest album Being. It is a mesmerising example of Baaba alchemy, blending the traditional and the future, with producer Johan Hugo’s visceral electronic production combining with a uniquely modern African sound and a lyric exploring the dynamic of social media and its various effects on Africa and the wider world. Vocalist Esau Mwamwaya of The Very Best also features.

“It became a song about being careful what you put on the internet,” says Baaba Maal, “It might seem funny or popular when you do it, but it might have consequences and you will have to live with those all your life.

“There are things you should keep to yourself. Mystery is important in life; you don’t need to shine a light on every little thing you do. You don’t have to give away your soul for the sake of a little bit of attention.

“The internet should be used to make humanity feel good about themselves. It is so powerful, it can be dangerous and sometimes it just seems the internet has just caused a constant freak out.”

Being is a powerful continuation of Baaba Maal’s pioneering, transcendent and inspiring work over the last forty years. He blends the traditional and the innovative, the acoustic and the electronic, always with his commitment to making the world a better place at its heart.