While The Very Best mixtape Esau Mwamwaya & Radioclit Are The Very Best caught fire with Mwamwaya singing (in Chichewa, Swahili, Portuguese and English) over Radioclit remixes of Michael Jackson, Vampire Weekend, Hans Zimmer and M.I.A., the full-length consists of original songs. For the recording, the band brings some guests on board: in addition to Vampire Weekend's Koenig joining for "Warm Heart Of Africa," M.I.A. is featured on "Rain Dance." The Very Best embodies a without-borders approach to music-making that could only happen in the 21st century.

The band came together when Mwamwaya first met Radioclit's Etienne Tron in 2007 while haggling over a bicycle in the London second-hand furniture shop he ran near the duo's studio. Following the exchange, Mwamwaya was invited to Tron's house-warming party where he met the other half of Radioclit, Johan Karlberg. Esau was asked to come to Radioclit's studio after he told Karlberg he was a drummer. It turned out Esau was a singer too and they decided to collaborate, combining Radioclit's vast production experience and self-described "ghettopop" style—having produced and remixed tracks for the likes of M.I.A., Lily Allen, Justin Timberlake, Santigold, Britney Spears, TV On The Radio, David Banner, Buraka Som Sistema among others—with Mwamwaya's emotive vocal approach. Karlberg dubbed Mwamwaya "the African Phil Collins," and they have been recording songs together ever since.