February 2012
7 posts
7 tags
Le Taximen Djossou Francois
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...
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Lita Bembo et Stukas Mombombo
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...
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Pierre Tchana feat. Orch. Poly Rhytmo
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...
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Sound of Africa Vol. 2!
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...
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Number 28 of 45: K. Frimpong & His Cubano Fiestas
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...
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De Frank - Baby Don't Play Me Wayo LP
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...
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UNITY feb. 18th! DON'T SLEEP!!!
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...
January 2012
3 posts
8 tags
Ashanti Brothers - Wo Y)nko Da Ne Wo Da (1976)
So, after a long hiatus, I’ve decided to get back on track and finish recording some of these 45s. But before we do, here’s a special treat for y’all - The Ashanti Brothers’ 1976 album “Wo Y)nko Da Ne Wo Da.”
Originating from the capital of the Ashanti region, Kumasi, this beautiful debut features Osei Kwame Vasco on lead vocals and Osei Kofi on lead...
10 tags
Lets Buy Lion A House!
NOTE: No computer yet (been bombarding various friends for crucial internet time), which means i still can’t finish uploading the rest of the 45s I’ve promised you (the files are on my computer). Soon come, I promise. That said, I do have some news for y’all:
Up ‘til now, I’ve called upon the aid of several record dealers to sell some of these African bits in order...
Happy new year everyone! So sorry for the long silence. My computer decided to go out of commission, leaving me with a lot of free time (albeit without any tools to get any real work done). I had recently recorded 23 albums, which I was in the process of editing for the blog. Now all i can do is wait… Rest assure though, we’ll be back in no time.
December 2011
7 posts
4 tags
John Collins (And West African Music History)...
I just received horrible news that John Collins’ Bapmaf Ghanaian Highlife Archives has been severely damaged along with Collins’ own personal family home and his belongs) in a terrible flood a couple of weeks ago. I urge any of you out there to PLEASE help and donate to the rebuilding of this invaluable collection of West African music history. Here’s a link to the story in...
7 tags
Morogoro Jazz Band feat. Mbaraka Mwinshehe
Now, let’s cross over to the other side of the continent and check out what they got to offer, shall we?
In the 1960s and 70s, the idea of nationalism was booming, as many Pan-African leaders came into power and wanted so desperately to create their own identity after the ousting of their colonial rulers. Taking cue form Kwame Nkrumah’s successful indoctrination of local highlife...
8 tags
The Juju Music of Dele Ojo & His Star Brothers...
Staying in Nigeria for a moment, we have the beautiful Juju rhythms of Dele Ojo & His Star Brothers Band. A good example of Juju coming into its own out of the Highlife movement that spilled over from nearby Ghana.
Dele Ojo & His Star Brothers Band 7’inch single
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Best Band name ever... seriously.
African Baby Party. Yup, that’s what I would’ve called my highlife band if Hebert Udemba hadn’t beat me to it some 50+ years ago.
Nigerian musician, Herbert Udemba, is one of the pioneers of Nigerian Highlife music, having recorded as early as 1958. This single, “Bottom Belly,” is his first foray into the world of music, a notable feat considering the stigma...
6 tags
'Round the World in 45 spins.. (WITH CORRECT LINK)
So, let’s take a musical trip through the African continent, shall we?
Here’s a few 45s from varying countries in Africa. We start with one from my trip to Mali back in January of this year. I used this song for the short clip of me in Mopti and have been humming it to myself ever since. Funny enough, my homegirl from Tanzania ragged on me as she thought they were saying...
6 tags
...And More Dr. K. Gyasi!
Seeing as we’re making multiple offerings from artists, I might as well throw in another slow-burning highlife number from one of favorite highlife artists, Dr. K. Gyasi.
The more I hear his music, the more I crave it - along with a beer and some swaying palm trees as I lounge near that strip of beach you encounter on your way to Takoradi from Cape Coast… ahh yes.
Dr. K. Gyasi...
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More Poly-Rythmo 45s!
Alright, Here’s a whole round of uploads for y’all.
Today’s offering is yet another Poly-Rythmo 45. Lion managed to pick up a good amount of Poly-Rythmo singles as he made his way through Togo and Benin en route to Nigeria a few months back. He picked up a few of their LPs as well, which will find their way onto this blog soon enough.
As for this particular single,...
November 2011
18 posts
recycler1160 asked: 1st: thank you very much for all the beautiful music you share! 2nd: the single of "Dynamics Band" contains in its packed file the song "38 Okwantuni" from "Alex Konadu's Band" and not the B-side of "Dynamics Band". can you please reup. Thx in advance! recycler
6 tags
Return to Culture: The rise of Wulomei
In the mid-senveties, there was a push within Ghanaian popular music for a return to tradition. And it was out of this push that came the one and only, Wulomei. Hailing from Accra, this band aided the rise of neo-traditional pop music by incorporating their native Ga rhythms into their sweet, laid back highlife numbers.
Always in traditional attire, Wulomei released several albums...
6 tags
Yamoah's Guitar Band
A slew of Highlife tunes seems to be the theme for this week. Here’s one more:
Peter Yamoah’s another musician hailing from Kumasi. Much like Konadu, His sound’s still heavily revered today among the older generation, most notably his mid-seventies’ release Yamoah’s Special LP, which I ran across quite a bit during my search out in Ghana. Not only was his music...
6 tags
Dynamics Band (RE-UPLOADED)
I can’t say I know much about this band, but I add it up here as an example of the subtle infusions of latin rhythms into Ghanaian Highlife.
Dynamics Band 7’inch single
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Alex Konadu's Band
The recently deceased Alex Konadu was a great treasure to Ghana, and to its musical heritage. Unfortunately, I never got to interview him prior to his passing, but Lion and I did venture up to a small town near Kumasi to speak to a couple of vocalists who sang with him during the 1970s, the height of Konadu’s popularity. Known for his energetic style of guitar band highlife,...
6 tags
Golden All Brothers' Venture Into Afro Soul
Here’s a good example of some of the integration of Western influences into West African music. The A-side is in typical highlife fashion, but the B-side offers a more adventurous number, equipped with swinging drums and a percussion breakdown.
Prior to the originality that Joni Haastrup or Ambolley would eventually offer, soul aficionados in Africa would often imitate their musical...
8 tags
My Great Love Affair with Fela Kuti 45s
Again, another artist that needs no introduction - the illustrious Fela Kuti. Instead of any ill-attempted recap of his greatness, I wanted to share this little personal anecdote.
It was one of my good friends, Justin a.k.a S.O.B, who first introduced me to Fela when we were still in high school. And it was he who first made me salivate over one scratchy Fela 45 he found a few years later. I...
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Akwaboah's Guitar Band
Bob Akwaboah exemplifies the guitar band sound that was so prevalent in Ghana during the 1960s and 70s. The genre stripped away all of the big band musical decor that defined the era immediately following WWII in favor for a rawer sound. In particular, Akwaboah’s music was laidback with a air of moodiness and tranquility, yet encompassed a subtle rhythmic panic at its core. And when I...
7 tags
I know, I know. I suck at this... (AND) Juju...
Sooo, I caved. Its a slippery slope when you let a day or two go by. Before you know it, a week’s gone and still no postings, but I assure all of you that it wasn’t without good reason.
For the last week or so I was participating in pure alchemy - converting dust-covered African records into actual viable commodities - in preparation for this record swap at UC Santa Cruz. Props...
9 tags
African Fiesta Orchestra Featuring Tabu Ley & Dr....
This 45 is yet another offering from the Congo and features one of the most beautiful ballads I’ve posted thus far. The African Fiesta Orchestra, which claimed the mighty Tabu Ley (more on him later) and Dr. Nico among its ranks, were pioneers in the Soukous genre. In a most noticeable trend for this blog, I tend to favor the B-side, “Lolita Lolita,” with its minor-key guitar...
7 tags
Day 12: Fon Traditional from Poly-Rhytmo
So, anyone into Poly-Rythmo is well-versed in their funkier numbers (which Side A of this 7’inch is considered among), but for me it’s all about the B-side on this one - a traditional piece sung in their native Fon language. A juju-esque (don’t quote me on that) sounding slow-swaying song that really demonstrates the wide-ranging capabilities of this band. I got a few LPs,...
8 tags
Keep it Coming: A Lil' More Afro beat from the...
This one’s massive. A funky two-parter from the almighty African Brothers Band. I love this band’s versatility and so should you. Peep it.
The African Brothers Band - Wope Me A Ka (pt.1 & 2)
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Day 10: New packages, Cleaning records & The...
Day 10 of 45:
This little experiment, 45 days of music uploads, was an attempt to motivate myself to jumpstart the process of cleaning, listening, and eventually posting the host of African 45s that lay dormant in my house. Needless to say, it’s been working out splendidly. Here’s but a glimpse of my efforts on the cleaning front:
I, unfortunately, don’t have access to a...
7 tags
Dr. K. Gyasi & his Noble Kings
Dr. K. Gyasi produced some of the most quintessential highlife recordings during the 1970’s. Most notably, was his record-breaking album, Sikyi Highlife, which featured a double-sided continuous melody that stretched for almost forty minutes. Sikyi Highlife was not only a beautifully constructed melancholy piece of Ghanaian music, but it also catapulted Dr. K. Gyasi to superstar status,...
8 tags
Orchestre Poly Rythmo (ASB 60)
I won’t go into detail about the greatness of this band. Others have articulated this fact far greater than I can ever imagine - Orogod and Jam Magica in particular. In addition, Analog Africa has release a plethora of stuff from their catalog for those inquiring about hw badass this band really is. Their liner notes alone are reason enough to pick up the Analog collections....
October 2011
9 posts
10 tags
African Brothers in a Latin Style
For the astute Digging4gold reader, the lack of posts this weekend may seem contradictory to my recent proclamation of 45 continuous days of music. Well unfortunately, I couldn’t avoid the abundance of festivities, but I plan to pick up where we left off… literally.
Here’s another dose of the indisputable African Brothers Band doing a latin tinged (cha-cha-cha) number. Yet...
12 tags
African Brothers Band (Happy Bird 7'inch)
Ran a little late today, but still on track for our 45 days of music.
Today, we gladly provide one of many African Brothers Band 45s that’ll surely grace this blog in the near future. The band, led by Nana Ampadu, was one of the most prolific guitar bands in Ghana during the 1970s. As stated before, they went through several reincarnations, and tackled several different styles of...
10 tags
Orchestre Bella Bella
Today, I present to you the Congolese sounds of Orchestre Bella Bella, one of the most popular Congolese groups of the 1960s and 70s.
Congolese music is arguably the most popular form of African music in the world. A result, among other things, of the mighty radio station, Radio Brazzaville, set up by the American troops during WWII to spread anti-Nazi propaganda. In-between chopping down...
tpafricait asked: sorry, but password for download of Hedzoleh? thanks
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Hedzoleh Soundz
This group has garnered much deserved attention in the past few years, mainly due to to their appearance on the Ghana Special compilation, and their terrific re-released debut.
But their original moment of fame (sort of) came when the south African exile, Hugh Masekela, heard them at Faisal’s notorious Napoleon nightclub in Ghana. He dug their sound and eventually decided to take the...
12 tags
The Apagya Show Band feat. Ebo Taylor & Gyedu-Blay...
Note: if your not familiar with either Gyedu blay Ambolley or Ebo Taylor please resort back to some of the earlier posts I did on both of these pivotal artists.
The Apagya Show band was formed by Ebo Taylor and Ambolley after they both left the seminal emsemble, the Uhuru Dance Band, in the early 70s. Each artist was interested in experimenting outside of the traditional Ghanainan highlife...
13 tags
The Big Beats featuring Linden Lee
One of my favorite funk 45s from my time in Ghana. I had found a super beat copy earlier in my travels, which I posted using a recording I made off my numark turntable. The combination sounded like an old 78 rpm played over an am radio.
Luckily, (for all of us) I got a nicer copy a few months before I left, which I present to you now. The A-side was featured on the awesome Ghana Special...
14 tags
John Collins & 45 days of Music
A stack of afrobeat„ afro-funk and deep highlife 45s sit in my room, patiently awaiting my inevitable fondling… it’s a shame, really, how they’ve been severely neglected for so long.
Well, no more, I say! In order to make up for lost time, I’ve decided on the dutiful task of posting 45 different singles in the next 45 days. Mind you, out of respect for the artists, the links will only be...
September 2011
2 posts
14 tags
The Day I met F. Kenya in the Shower...
Dr. F. Kenya is probably one of the greatest living highlife guitarists in Ghana. His two Powerhouse LPs, which he performed on and composed, epitomize the seriousness of the guitar band format, up to par with such luminaires as Nana Ampadu or K. Frimpong. Funny then, that I would run into him, not in a club or bar, but rather in mid-stride to his morning shower one morning in his hometown of...
Record Sale, Oakland CA Sept. 17, 2011
A quick shout out:
Much respect to Adam, Donovan and the rest of the Oakland Massive for putting together this record swap today. This thing was great. Tons of vendors including Soundway’s very own Beto (known for the Panama! compilation series) and Smokestack, with his trusty Bollywood funk-filled crates. A beautiful array of folks and music from all corners of the earth. Can’t...
August 2011
5 posts
12 tags
K. Frimpong Can do No Wrong
Ah, Mr. Alhaji K. Frimpong.
The man’s work has graced many afrobeat compilations over the past few years. And although his sound echos the moodiness and hypnotic melodies one finds in other afrobeat artists (which some attribute to its modal composition), he probably would have been shocked to hear his music akin to the genre. That’s because while the funkier artists of his day...
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New Download: Sound of Africa Warm-Up Sessions...
So my man, Serg, and I are embarking on a new Thursday party in a couple weeks in San Francisco (more details to come). For all my bay area folks, expect to hear a musical collage of African goodness meshed with caribbean rhythms… in other words: food for the soul.
In honor of the event, I put together this mix of classic mid-tempo west African numbers from recent years. Hard copies...
WatchATTENTION ALL MY FELLOW ARTISTS OUT THERE:
Especially anyone in the Bay Area, I highly recommend my boy Joe’s upcoming event. In just a short time, his idea has become a full-fledge reality with amazing results (as well as supplied a few of our friends with a job). Now, on the heels of its first official release, HitRecord is coming to the bay.
For any artist - beit visual, audio, or...