The electronic musical project Dirtmusic is probably the only time that the tag “world music” may be used in the 21st century without sounding pretentious or pejorative. Lion City, the group’s second album in 12 months, is a rich, expansive album that is worldly in every sense of the word. Lion City is a rich and fully integrative experience that adapts cultural and musical differences between Mali, Australia, and the United States. Dirtmusic’s members are American Chris Eckman and Australian Hugo Race. The project collaborates with West African artists, chiefly the afrobeat artist Ben Zabo and his band (who are labelmates with Dirtmusic). The Lion City samples are culled from the same sessions as the group’s mid-2013 album Troubles, which were recorded in Mali’s capital Bamako. The synthesis of traditional Malian music and Western electronic rock might sound jarring, but Dirtmusic is successful in its acknowledgement and integration of the dichotomy through seemingly contradictory sounds and musical backgrounds. There is a distinctly ambient atmosphere through the majority of the tracks that recalls the spaciousness of garage and dubstep artists. The darkness of Burial is a sure analogy, as seen on Narha, and the orchestrated compositional style of Illum Sphere comes forth in the opening track Stars Of Gao. A bass-heavy jive underpins the album (see Movin’ Careful), and Lion City gets pretty funky at times, especially in the lower end of the spectrum, and it’s almost Daft Punk-esque in some areas. In particular, the track Blind City recalls Random Access Memories in its groovy, fun times bass line. There’s a bit of an indie pop texture that belies Eckman’s Pacific Northwest roots in subdued electronic backbeats and moderately anthemic choruses, once again seen in Blind City. Winding, slightly Frippertronics-esque guitars add to the wordly milieu.