World Circuit Records Announce 40th Anniversary Vinyl Reissue Series – Ali Farka Touré’s ‘Savane’
World Circuit Records have announced a series of colour vinyl re-releases of some of the label’s most iconic albums as a celebration of its 40th Anniversary.
The albums are set to be released throughout 2026, with specific release dates to be confirmed shortly. Here is the full list:
Ali Farka Touré – Savane (20th anniversary)
Buena Vista Social Club – Buena Vista Social Club (30th anniversary)
Afro-Cuban All Stars – A Toda Cuba Le Gusta (30th anniversary)
Oumou Sangaré – Moussolou
Tony Allen and Hugh Masekela – Rejoice
Ibrahim Ferrer – Buena Vista Social Club Present Ibrahim Ferrer
World Circuit Records has established its reputation by producing some of the finest albums of the past three decades, specialising in music from Cuba and West Africa but also introducing audiences to a diverse range of exceptional music from other corners of the globe.
The label is best known for the Grammy-winning ‘Buena Vista Social Club’ album, which at over 8 million copies is the biggest-selling ‘global’ music album of all time, and contributed to the phenomenal rise in popularity of Cuban music. The extraordinary acclaim of the original album also provided a launchpad for solo albums from the Grammy-winning Ibrahim Ferrer, Omara Portuondo, Rubén González, Guajiro Mirabal, as well as innovative albums by Cachaíto López and Angá Díaz, both of which helped redefine Cuban music for the 21st century.
World Circuit is also home to several prestigious African artists. Legendary Malian blues pioneer Ali Farka Touré’s classic Grammy-winning ‘Talking Timbuktu’, recorded with Ry Cooder, brought the label early international acclaim. Malian superstar Oumou Sangaré, the revered kora player Toumani Diabaté, the legendary Orchestra Baobab, and musical maverick Cheikh Lô from Senegal have all emerged as major stars around the globe. World Circuit launched the careers of Malian singer-songwriter Fatoumata Diawara and Trio Da Kali, and, more recently, released the critically acclaimed collaboration between Tony Allen & Hugh Masekela, ‘REJOICE’, as well as Afel Bocoum’s celebrated ‘Lindé’ and Afrika Experss presents… with Bahidorá.
The force behind all these landmark records has been the internationally acclaimed, multiple Grammy-winning producer and World Circuit co-founder, Nick Gold. In 2006, The New York Times described Gold as a “musical matchmaker… (who), in the age of corporate music conglomerates, has built a small empire on personal taste, tight quality control, and canny marketing.”
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The series will kick off with ‘Savane’, Ali Farka Touré’s final solo studio album, and a deeply resonant “farewell” work, on 29th May. It will be released as a special edition gatefold sleeve, yellow vinyl double-LP, with a 16-page booklet. Pre-order the album here.
Recorded in Bamako, Mali, with his specially assembled down-home ngoni group, and often acclaimed as his finest album, ‘Savane’ is both one of the most traditional and seemingly the most blues-drenched of Ali’s recordings. The album, produced by Nick Gold and originally released in July 2006, celebrates its 20th anniversary with a limited-edition yellow double vinyl, housed in a gatefold sleeve. Whether you’ve lived with the music for two decades or are discovering it anew, this edition invites you to experience Savane with fresh eyes and ears.
