Imagine if Herbie Hancock had been commissioned to compose the music for Legend Of Zelda —or, even more old-school, Space Invaders. Now imagine the keyboardist getting lost in the Sahara and joining the nomadic Touaregs, and that’s roughly what this unreleased 1987 recording by Niger-born Mamman Sani sounds like. Recorded in Paris, Sani remained largely forgotten and has only recently started getting his due credit with a spring 2014 tour of France and the UK. Advertised as “futuristic relaxation music,” it’s actually old-school funky Casio jams, upbeat but not too much so, like the background music at a hashish bazaar.
RIYL Hailu Mergia, Herbie Hancock film scores, Music For Saharan Cellphones

1. (4:21) You enter a shady Sahel dive bar, inhale the scents of marinating lamb, shisha, and black coffee; the merciless sun has started to descend behind the dunes.
2. (5:54) A jaunty bassline drives a lively game of Atari pong among the locals, which you observe while casually drawing puffs from the hookah.
3. (5:37) Just as you’re about to doze off, you get another serving of extremely strong coffee—your pupils dilate, your hands start shaking, and you even consider dancing, but you'’re way too hashed up for that.
4. (5:34) Night has descended over your tiny oasis, and with a clear view of the sky, you gaze up at the Milky Way while a slow digital waltz hums out of the Atari speakers.
5. (4:16) The locals begin yelping and dancing, and you look up to see a strange bright light emerging from behind the moon. An uplifted mood of joy and praise spreads through the crowd.
6. (5:45) A spaceship lands on the dunes, your Tuareg friends welcoming its arrival with a strange familiarity. The Casio drum samples get louder and cheesier.
7. (5:40) Amid much celebration, the alien overlords emerge from their craft with gifts of hashish and Atari machines. Everyone gathers for a smoke and dances their hearts out.
8. (7:11) You awaken from your hazy mirage, remembering that extremists have ousted the Tuareg militias from power in northern Mali, where music has now been banned. Time to start crawling along the hot sands in search of water…...