Today marks the release of the new, self-titled record from St Germain. The artist, aka Ludovic Navarre, whose albums Boulevard (1995) and Tourist (2000) originated a genre of French electronic music that later included artists like Daft Punk, has returned to the studio to create his first album in 15 years. The album marries percussive grooves, which have always been central to St Germain’s sound, with a new element: traditional Malian music. To pick up a copy of the album in the United States, head to your local music store, iTunes, Amazon, or the Nonesuch Store.

The album features various musicians and singers from the African diaspora including Malian kora players Mamadou Cherif Soumano and Cheikh Lo Ouza Diallo, Malian violinist Zoumana Tereta, and Senegalese bass player Alioune Wade (Ismael Lô) amongst others. Notably, St Germain also includes contributions from revered Malian guitarist and n’goni player Guimba Kouyata whom Brian Eno recently heralded as "the greatest guitar player I’ve heard for years and years."

All About Jazz gives a perfect five stars to the new album with its "inspired alchemy." "St Germain is a remarkable album of rewarding and organic music," exclaims All About Jazz reviewer Nenad Georgievski. "It is really a rare occurrence that an electronic music is crafted with so much style and substance as this record."

Georgievski goes on to explain: "What is evident on these tracks is Navarre's sense of space. Not only he has a great sense of melody, but a deep understanding of how traditional instruments can retain their authenticity, beauty and impact within a setting they were not designed to operate in. Navarre injects personality and charisma into these sounds and avoids them to sound lifeless and soullessly synthetic. The latter songs introduce a more deeply layered sound and swirling kaleidoscopic melodies. Eventually these layers masterfully and smoothly stack into a cohesive but rich sound."

The review concludes: "Rarely has electronic music been crafted with as much substance and style as it has on St. Germain's records including this one. Meticulously crafted, the combination of warm live instruments, the catchy house drum loops with ambient keyboards, African sounds and vocals, a plethora of clever musical references and subtle baselines reveals a true craftsmanship in Navarre's production of house music."

Read the complete review at allaboutjazz.com.

"Navarre remains a sly master of the textural mix; a producer whose sweeping effects and atmospheric auras become part of the structure of the tunes," says NPR's Tom Moon. Kouyate "thrives within St. Germain's sonic schemes; his terse rejoinders between vocal phrases are as spellbinding as his full-on solos." Moon concludes: "[S]ome tracks sound like they could have happened live in the studio. In those moments, everyone involved is seeking not just the right notes, but also the most apt expression; those sounds that lift the music into the higher spirit realms."

The album was featured on WNYC's New Sounds, whose host, John Schaefer, says: "This record, 15 years after his last album, turns out to be worth the wait. Some really great textures, some wonderful sounds from Mali and West Africa at the heart and soul of this record." Listen to the episode at wnyc.org.

DJ magazine gives the album a 9.5 out of 10. "As ever, Navarre's lush and organic work marries real musicians playing real instruments with fine synthesis and cunning sampling," writes reviewer Kristan J. Caryl, concluding that "this eponymous album is Navarre's most honest yet."

The Independent on Sunday, which has made St Germain its CD of the Week, gives it four stars and says Navarre "hasn't blunted his cutting edge." It's "a spacious, expansive, open-hearted embrace of a record," says reviewer Laurence Phelan, and Navarre's production is "exquisitely honed."

Jazzwise gives the album four stars as well, saying it "deftly balances tradition and modernity and begs repeated listening ... Navarre continues to revolutionise electronic music."

"World rhythms and deep groves from a French Touch master," says Mixmag; "never strays from the sublime."