Check out the article I wrote for Okayafrica about one of Ghana’s biggest hiplife acts - VIP.
Teenage rebellion is the same all over. In the Congo circa late 1960s, when a new generation of young musicians were eager for something new, they decided to flip their parents’ beloved congolese rumba on it’s head. Result: Soukous.
Musicians kept the the rumba rhythm in the piece just long enough for mom and pop to feel comfortable and then BAM - hit ‘em with some new ish! No group exemplifies this sound better than the highly gifted Zaiko Langa-langa. This particular 45 was in my head for months after I first found it and I’ve been slipping on getting a proper rip. Well, no more - without further adieu…
In keeping with the Wulomei-theme from the last post, I’m oferring some more neo-cultural music from the Ga people of Ghana - a beautiful collection of mellow highlife and traditional rhythms. A recent favorite of mine.
After a few false starts we’re finally on the verge of launching the Bay Area’s newest african weekly (at a brand new venue, no less - The Rocksteady at 1741 San Pablo Ave Oakland).
Azonto, for those who don’t already know, is the name of Ghana’s most popular style of dance and accompanying club-oriented music. Groups like 5-five, Castro, Keche and the like have been pumping out one massive Azonto hit after another. Outside of Ghana, the music has also been embraced in Europe for a while now, where there tends to be bigger communities of Ghanaians, and is closely aligned with the larger afrobeats genre. (Note: No relation to the Afrobeat styling of Fela Kuti, but rather the UK funky-inspired upbeat pop you tend to hear at Ghanaian and UK clubs).
To get you all caught up before our April 22nd kick-off, I’ve decided to share some my personal Azonto favorites, including the massive “Obuu Mo” by E.L. and 5-Five’s “Busso Kena,” which featuring, by far, the cutest rendition of azonto dancing courtesy of a young lil’ school girl in her brown and yellow uniform. Soooo good..
I looked back at my earlier post regarding Wulomei and realized that one 7” inch simply wasn’t enough to demonstrate the greatness of this band.
As stated before, they were a part of the neo-cultural musical movement that occurred durring the 1970s in Ghana. Wulomei, alongside other groups like Suku Troupe and the more obscure Ga-Mashiebii, walked the fine line of contemporary and traditional musical landscapes perfectly.
Wether you were Ga from Accra, Asanti from Kumasi or Fanti from the coast, there was a group specializing in speaking your musical language in a modern way. Sure, upon listening to this album, it may surprise you to hear it described as modern, but one must remember that this was a recent phenomena for listeners in the 70’s. Highlife was the range, afro funk was around the corner, guitar bands were on the rise, and amidst all of that these culture groups were reminding folks (and tourist alike) of the essence for the first time on record.
Let me know if you guys like this because I have plenty more where that came from…
EBO TAYLOR EXPLAINS JAMES BROWN’S GHANAIAN ROOTS
So, I recently recovered ALL of my presumably lost data from a busted hard drive, which coincidently was supposed to serve as my fail-proof back up (so much for that plan). Long story short, I’ve been able to resume editing interviews and pictures from my year in Ghana. First day, and I’ve already got a ridiculous treat for everyone: A killer snippet of Legendary Afro-funk compsoer, Ebo Taylor, explaining very matter-of-fact why he believes James Brown was a natural Ghanaian musician. Peep it out.
By the way, Mr. Taylor is on the verge of dropping his second studio album of all new afro-funk and fanti akan rhythms. You can get a sneak preview here.
Oh, and if you missed the last posting about Ebo and all his goodness, go back and download his massive album, Conflict. Highly recommended.
tpafricait asked: sorry but the songs you've uploaded the Cutlass Dance Band - (1984) Fire! Ogya! They are all cut off ...why?
Hmmm. I think it was a an error that occurred when I was converting the files. Thanks for pointing this out. I’ve since corrected the problem and updated the link:
UPDTATE: Problems with previous link have been corrected.
A few days ago, I was asked to make an independence day mixtape of old highlife for a Ghanaian website. Unfortunately, it was extremely short notice and I was unable to put it together in time, but offerrings must be made!
So, in honor of the occasion I decided to share an album which embodies the very essence of Ghanaian highlife - and the soul of Ghana itself - The Cutlass Dance Band’s Fire!! Ogya!!
Originally released in 1984, this jaw-dropping collection of songs flawlessly depict highlife at its very best. for those interested, you can find some of the Cutlass Band’s funkier efforts on the Ghana Special compilation from a few years back.
Happy Independence day!
I not gonna lie: I really don’t know anything about this artist or single (except that I can only assume he drove a taxi prior to his recording career). However, this 45 has a great field recording-type vibe, and I figured since we were in Francophone Africa for a minute we could end our trip with a recording that embodies a bit of that rawness that lies just beneath most rhythms that we hear in African music. Interestingly enough, this reminds me of the Ewe bobobo recordings taximen would play as I traveled in and out fo the Volta region in Ghana so I wouldn’t be surprised if this artist was from nearby Togo. Oh well, enjoy…
Annnnnd we’re off to Zaire:
Lita Bembo & Orch. Stukas Mombombo is classic congolese soukous- Franticly energetic guitar licks over rumba-esque instrumentation - and this little 45 is a perfect example of that. As always, I’ll let the music speak for itself, but for a lil’ more info on these guys check out the good folks over at La Pelanga.
Lita bembo et Stukas Mombombo - Lita Bembo Alobi (7”inch single)
So, I realized I was taking you on a lil’ musical trip around africa (waaay back when), but never quite finished up. So let’s continue:
Today we stop in Cameroun. Monsieur Pierre, best known fro his rumbas and other latin-tinged numbers, teams up with one of Benin’s most prolific outfits- Orchestre Poly Rhytmo. Together they provides an amazingly laid back tune, “il N’est Jamais Trop Tard,” which was featured on the African Boogaloo compilation put out by Honest Jon (props to Ms. Lisa for hipping me this release).
I offer you both sides of the 45, but highly recommend the Honest Jon comp for a more detailed account on the influence of Latin rhythms in West Africa.
Pierre Tchana feat. Poly-Rythmo - il N’est Jamais Trop Tard (7”inch single)
Due to some unforeseen mishaps, this mix was delayed for far too long. However, I’ve finally been able to get back on track and post the next official installment of the Sound of Africa.
This series of mixes was meant to highlight the varying sounds that dominate mainstream radio in Africa. From Kwaito and House in South Africa, to Bongo Flavour or Kenyan Local music in East Africa, to the overwhelmingly popular Niaja rap and Hiplife in West Africa, the popular music of the day is hard-hitting and influenced by, both, internal and external forces. So far, we’ve had offerings from mostly west Africa, but my aim is to expand into other regions. For now though, we focus on Vol. 2.
These 30 tracks were some of the biggest tunes in Ghana last year, including none other than Mr. “Baby Jet” footballer, Asamoah Gyan, who is fast becoming a more reliable hit-maker (with the aid of Castro) than penalty shooter. The mix also higlights GH’s own version of Twista - Sarkodie. Hailing from Accra’s sister city, Tema, Sarkodie is Ghana rap’s crowning achievement, balancing pop and underground, and is set - if the trend towards african artists continues - to make an impression overseas. The same can be said about D’Banj, who was recently signed by Kanye West’s G.O.O.D. Music label.
D’Banj has long been a star in Africa, but it seems that he’s finally going to get the backing from international labels to take his music outside of the continent. Although, talk to any African in the US or Europe and they’ll tell you this is old news - D’Banj’s 2008 “Fall in Love” is practically an African wedding party standard. But it’s D’Banj’s ability to straddle the fence between highlife-esque songs, hard-edged rap, and club-oriented club bangers that’s allowed him to flourish. Peep out his latest hit, “Oliver Twist,” for further proof.
The Sound of Africa Vol. 2: More Club Anthems From Ghana & Nigeria (320 kbps)
01 Sound of Africa Intro
02 Sarkodie - You Go Kill Me ft E.L
03 Antika Bentil - Ragomzo (You Go Kill Me Riddim)
04 Castro - Do The Dance feat. Asamoah Gyan
05 Dawuni - Break Your Body
06 Zigi - Let’s Get It Started ft Eazzy
07 Ice Prince - Oleku (feat. Brymo)
08 Mugis - Oleku (GH Version)
09 Lyrix - Maamele
10 Terry G. - Akpako Master
11 D’Banj - Oliver Twist
12 Dee Money - Kpokpo O Body (Let Loose)
13 E Fine - Party Anthem (Feat. Stay Jay)
14 Ikechukwu - Wine Am Well feat. D’Banj & Don Jazzy
15 4x4 - Yesi Yesii (Hear Say)
16 Atumpan - The Thing ft Stone
17 Ruff n’ Smooth - Fire
18 Sugar & Spice - Shake
19 Keche - Sorkode
20 Slaeyes - Rokpome
21 F.B.S. - Pay As You Go
22 5-Five - Uhm Ahh (Feat. Appiatus)
23 5-Five - Uhm Ahh (uan’s Walai Talai Remix)
24 Double - Walai Talai
25 Bradez - Wassup
26 Sway - Feeling Funky feat. Sarkodie
27 V.I.P - Oye Me Taste
28 J. Martins - Iva
29 Kas - Fimile (Juan’s Kwaito Drum Mix)
30 V.I.P - I Think I Like Am (Remix)
31 Oritse Femi - Better
You can download a smaller 192 kbps version here
Alright y’all, I’m still trying to get all these 45s posted up on here. As of right now, we’re on number 28, courtesy of Mr. Alahji K. Frimpong.
Another killer ghanaian guitar-style highlife song with beautiful vocals. I’ve said it before, this man is the reason why i even decided to go back to Ghana and look for music. Hope you enjoy.
K. Frimpong & His Cubano Fiestas - Mo Tan Me (7” inch single)
So, one very astute patron of the site requested for an updated rip of the monstrous funk jam - “Do Your Own Thing” - by De Frank, which was uploaded back in March of 2011 as a crappy audio file. That set of songs is still one of my favorites from the uploads I did out in Ghana, and I still intend to do some proper rips of all them in the near future. For now though, I went ahead and decided to offer the whole De Frank album, which features said song.
Your welcome. (truth be told, I had been thinking of ripping the album anyways just the day before… like minds, I suppose)
As for the artist himself, De Frank Kakra was born in Togo but recorded in Ghana. His unique blend of soul, funk and disco alongside more Ghanaian instrumentations puts him right in line with numerous others featured on this blog - not to mention the western influx that was occurring in the music of Western Africa at the time. As a result, he had a few hits with his band the Professionals, having released at least three albums (all of which feature amazingly funky numbers). As always, some of these have been reissued on various comps, including the beautifully melodic “Afe Ato Yen Bio” (NOTE TO SELF: ask Lion to translate this) on AFRO-BEAT AIRWAYS.
(Lion, as he listens through a whole batch of highlife and afrobeat back in 2011, including De Frank’s Baby Don’t Play Me Wayo LP)
However, surprisingly absent form these comps is this up-rocking tune. An obvious standout, “Do Your Own thing” is ladened with head-nodding drums and a killer organ solo, but the album as a whole is just as rich. Check out my personal favorite - the islamically-inclined “Asalamalekum Rasudilahi” - a classic highlife number with beautiful vocals.
For all my Bay Area folks, IT’S OFFICIAL: we’re doing the second installment of our new monthly - UNITY - featuring some of my favorite deejays, including B. Brown from The People, our Cuban musical ambassador - DJ Leydis of Los Rakas, AND the ever-so prolific Sake One (Local 1200). The kick-off was amazing and we only expect an even better showing this time around. And as for the music, you know we’ll be blessing everyone with some African goodness (courtesy of yours truly) as well an open array of party-rocking tunes. For more info, as well as free guestlist action, visit:
http://www.facebook.com/events/280392738693949/
A lil’ taste of what’s to come:
