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Ethiopian Modern Instrumentals hits

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Mad grooves from the Ethiopian scene of the 70s -- featuring work by the enigmatic Mulatu, plus some of the other extra-cool artists on that country's groundbreaking soul and funk scene! Mulatu plays Fender Rhodes and organ on his tracks -- grooving with a slow, snakey approach that's almost a bit like the work of Sun Ra, but which also has distinct African touches. The sound here is quite different than the Nigerian funky work of the 70s -- much more laidback and open-ended, with less American influences, and a really unique approach! Titles include ''Yekermo Se'', ''Yegele Tezeta'', ''Munaye'', ''Metche Dershe'', ''Kasalefkut Hulu'', and ''Tezeta'' by Mulatu Astatque, ''Heywete'' and ''Bemgnot Alnorem'' by Bahta Gebre Heywet, and ''Yetesfa Tezeta'' by Tesfa-Maryam Kidane. Vinyl release of tracks pulled from the Ethiopiques CD-only series, done with some good notes.

 
 


Tabukah ‘X’ ‎– Tabukah ‘X’

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Crazy Rare Ghana/ Nigerian Afro Rock/funk . Impossible to find. Mostly Ghanaian band based in Nigeria - Nigeria only release. Check "Finger Toe":




Unforunately also do not have this album, therefore pls contact me to share it ...

Tracklist

A1 Right Thing
A2 Mama I'm Lost
A3 Freaky Chaps
A4 Long Long Way
A5 Finger Toe
B1 Get On The Move
B2 You've Done Me Wrong
B3 Be My Girl (Baby)
B4 Sons Of Tan

William Onyeabor - Who Is William Onyeabor?

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LUAKA BOP BECOMES THE FIRST RECORD LABEL TO SUCCESSFULLY LICENSE WILLIAM ONYEABOR, THE MYSTERIOUS, WIDELY BOOTLEGGED NIGERIAN ARTIST.

Luaka Bop will celebrate Its 25th anniversary with World Psychedelic Classics 5: Who Is William Onyeabor? and related collaborations with Dam-Funk, Devendra Banhart, Justin Strauss, Caribou, John Talabot and Others

"The world might just be better off not hearing [Onyeabor's "Atomic Bomb"], which will burrow and propagate its seed exponentially by the second, into the hearts and souls of all humanity. It's the catchiest song I've ever heard; when it gets in my brain, I can't sleep...He's a mythical character from Nigeria." 
Devendra Banhart in Uncut

"Anyone out there who is making music at the moment...will be quite excited by this..." 
Damon Albarn on BBC Radio One

"LCD Soundsystem sounds like an American William Onyeabor."
Peaking Lights


"Talked to Luaka Bop about details of the William Onyeabor comp they are working on...Gonna blow minds!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
Four Tet


"People are really going to freak out!"
Caribou


Through its World Psychedelic Classics series, Luaka Bop has succeeded at introducing long-forgotten artists including Os Mutantes, Shuggie Otis and Tim Maia to the world at large. 

William Onyeabor is as obscure as these other artists were before their Luaka Bop releases, although his recordings from the '70s and '80s are beloved by die-hard record collectors and artists such as Damon Albarn, Devendra Banhart, Four Tet and Caribou, to name a few. The music ranges from synth-heavy electronic dance music to Afrosoul with saxophones and female backup singers, to psychedelic funk with wah-wah guitar and fuzzy keyboards—and often combines all of these elements.

In spite of Onyeabor's cult following, Luaka Bop is the first label to successfully license his catalog, and on October 15 will release World Psychedelic Classics 5: Who Is William Onyeabor?

The vinyl release comprises 13 tracks spanning Onyeabor's body of work and will include artwork by John Akomfrah, Njideka Akunyili, Harrison Haynes, Dave Muller, Odili Donald Odita and Xaviera Simmons. The CD and digital releases will include nine tracks.

Who Is William Onyeabor? may be the most complicated, if also one of the richest, undertakings in Luaka Bop's (rarely straightforward) 25-year history. Following the eight albums Onyeabor self-released between 1978 and 1985, he became a Born-Again Christian, refusing ever to speak about himself or his music again. Various biographies can be found online. Some say he studied cinematography in the Soviet Union and returned to Nigeria in the mid-70s to start his own film company, Wilfilms. Some say he was a lawyer with a degree from a university in Great Britain. Others portray him as a businessman who for years worked on government contracts in Enugu, Nigeria.

By attempting to speak with Onyeabor himself, and by talking to people who seem to have firsthand knowledge, Luaka Bop has been trying to construct an accurate biography of him for the past 18 months...without success.

One thing that's undisputable is that Onyeabor's music is utterly unique and ahead of its time.

luakabop.com 

 

Mansion - Devil Woman

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HARD TO FIND AFRO ROCK/ FUNK  LP from 1976 on CLOVER Records, Nigeria CXL 2003.




Tracklist

A1 The Love Song
A2 Devil Woman
A3 Don't Take That Love Away From Me
B1 Heaven Is Here On Earth
B2 You Can't Stop Us
B3 The Great Question

Geraldo Pino

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Fela Kuti quoted: 
 
"I was playing highlife jazz wenn Geraldo Pino came to town in ’66 or a bit earlier, with soul. He came to town with James Brown’s music…and with such equipment you’ve never seen, man. This man was tearing Lagos to pieces. Woooooooooh, man. He had Nigeria in his pocket. Made me fall right on my ass!"
 

When he appeared at the Barbican in London last May, the singer, guitarist and bandleader Geraldo Pino, who has died aged 69, revealed himself as one of the forgotten fathers of African popular music. He had a major influence on west Africa's soul, funk and Afrobeat scene in the 1960s and 70s, and made a huge impression on the young Fela Kuti, yet his music had been largely unheard for the past 30 years.

Born and raised as Gerald Pine in Freetown, Sierra Leone, he was the son of a Nigeria-based lawyer and lost his mother and sister at an early age. Rebelling against his background, he started playing music at a social club and co-founded the Heartbeats at the start of the 1960s, playing covers of American hits and Congolese versions of rumba, then sweeping west Africa. The most famous Congolese musicians were Franco and Dr Nico, whose names inspired Gerald Pine to turn into the exotic "Geraldo Pino".

Playing Freetown nightclubs such as the Flamingo, Palm Beach and Tiwana, the Heartbeats became one of the highest earning bands in west Africa, and when television was introduced in Sierra Leone in 1962, Pino and the Heartbeats had their own show. In early 1963 they cut their first records - including Maria Lef For Waka, Heartbeats Merengue and Zamzie - which were released on his own Pino Records label. Zamzie is still used by Voice of America as a signature tune.

Africa was alive with dance music in those optimistic, post-colonial days and the Heartbeats provided a sophisticated, internationalised sound which began to challenge the ubiquitous highlife. Pino was also a great manager, promoter and businessman. Touring Ghana and Nigeria (1965-67), he was very much the playboy pop star, with a Pontiac convertible, flashy clothes and, most importantly, hardware unheard of in Africa at that time: imported amplifiers pumping out the sound of his electronic instruments and a six-microphone PA system.

Pino had the stage presence to match, impressing women and men equally. Among his 1960s and 70s hits were Power to the People, Give Me Ganja, Let Them Talk and Make Me Feel Good.
He impressed Fela Kuti (then still Ransome Kuti) when he played Lagos, Nigeria. At the time the Nigerian was playing jazzy highlife while Pino arrived with James Brown's style of music and formidable equipment. "He had all Nigeria in his pocket," Fela said in 1982. "Made me fall right on my ass, man."

Pino returned to Nigeria in 1967, and later that year took up a residency at the Ringway hotel, Accra, Ghana. The original Heartbeats broke up at the end of the decade and he recruited Ghanaians for the new Heartbeats 72 from a psychedelic band, the Plastic Jims. In the 70s they played west African concerts alongside Jimmy Cliff, Rufus Thomas and Manu Dibango. Pino's records made him famous as far away as Kenya.

In 1969 he settled in Nigeria and never left, buying a TV station and the Airport hotel in the city of Port Harcourt. There he introduced up-and-coming Camerounian musicians and played with Fela Kuti. In 2005 two of his albums were reissued, bringing his sounds to a new generation. In London last year, he played again with former Heartbeats drummer and arranger Francis Fuster, and despite failing health acquitted himself well.

Pino had cancer and was diabetic. A Port Harcourt paper reported that he was being treated for "a mere pain on the foot when he finally gave up the ghost". Pino never married, though he is believed to have fathered several children.

Geraldo Pino (Gerald Pine), musician, born 10 February 1939; died 10 November 2008.

theguardian.com




Frankoye ‎– On Campus Life

The Brighton Beat - Live @ the Bean Runner (for free)

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  Recorded live at The Beanrunner Cafe in Peekskill, NY;  The Brighton Beat's first live album is now available for digital download, with hard copies available at all live events.  It features some re-imagined Brighton Beat classics, and a cover of Fela Kuti's "Dog Eat Dog."  The amazing artwork was hand painted by local Peekskill artist Andrew Barthelmes

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 "Afro-beat big band The Brighton Beat can sound really quiet considering the number of people on stage. The five mellow tracks on Live At The Bean Runner, recorded in Peekskill, NY, are allowed to develop organically. Kicking off with a cover of Fela Kuti's Dog Eat Dog they slip into Giraffe, one of the stand-out tracks from The Brighton Beat LP, throwing quite a few hat tips to the Supertramp classic Bloody Well Right.  

Live At The Bean Runner is a mellow album as a whole, flowing gently but picking up speed every now and then when it looks that they have painted themselves into a corner. Jazz comes to the rescue in Loose Cannon and they end the album on a high note with great percussion and keyboards interplay, a loud guitar solo and a good ol' sax battle during Big Top.





Tracklist


1.
Dog Eat Dog 12:21



2.
Giraffe 12:16



3.
Loose Cannon 12:28



4.
Indian Summer 15:50



5.
Big Top 12:17 

From Ghana: The Jewels & Ghanaian highlife

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Unfortunately, I cannot find any information about "The Jewels", 
but any interesting brief history of highlife music in Ghana ...

 

A little bit of blues, swing, rhythm and blues and African rhythms: So the style of music can sound Highlife from Ghana. Or even completely different: A pinch of samba, a touch of European church music, mixed with sea shanties - but also because the Ghanaian rhythms not missing. Because they are the common denominator of highlife music that is so diverse that it is difficult to characterize.
The roots of the high life in the bustling capital city of Accra in the late 19th Century, when Ghana is still a colony of Great Britain. Especially on the coast meet different cultures. This leads also to a musical melting pot of music from around the world mixed with indigenous sounds and rhythms.
Within the country develop at the beginning of the 20th Century, two different forms of this genre: the high life of the rich and the high life in the bush.
On the coast of Ghana is dancing the black and white elite to dance orchestra Highlife: Africanized foxtrot, waltz and ragtime, played by large string and brass bands. Dance to the rich in tails, top hat and much pomp.
Meanwhile produced within the country of the guitar band highlife. Especially in the simple style of this instrument differs from the elite: The harp lute Seprewa and later the guitar shape this music - and percussion instruments.
The signs of the beginnings: The band "Sam's Trio," which also "Kumasi Trio" was called. As early as 1928 they are in London in a studio and record the song "Yaa Amponsah" on. To date, this structure can be found in almost every highlife number.
Although so many Western influences collide in this music, highlife, after independence in 1957 Ghana's national music and also has political value: The president often takes a whole orchestra with him on his trip abroad.
As it rumbles in the 80s in Ghana - corruption and arbitrariness determine the policy, the economy is declining - breaks the music industry. More and more musicians wander off: Many to Germany, where highlife, funk and rock fused with the so-called Burger-highlife is. Or to Canada, there to wait an enthusiastic audience and a liberal working environment.



moreover, ... I found an interesting brief history of highlife music in Ghana by John Collins




 


Embryo - Africa

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Embryo is a musical collective from Munich which has been active since 1969, although its story started in the mid-1950s in Hof, Germany where Christian Burchard and Dieter Serfas met for the first time at the age of 10. It was one of the most important German jazz-rock bands during the 1970s and has also been described as "the most eclectic" of the Krautrock bands. 

Always trying something new, the next big Embryo adventure was a tour via Turkey through to Egypt, and later a tour through Africa. "AFRICA" documents these projects with an exceptionally wide variety of musics.
 

 

Tracklist

A1. Djangedi (3:09)
A2. Sango (4:15)
A3. Mao in Afrique (part 1) (2:13)
A4. Mao in Afrique (part 2) (3:52)
A5. Konga (2:40)
A6. Yulius' song (1:54)
B1. Dun Dun mix (5:46)
B2. Bush (1:55)
B3. Wole Alade (3:04)
B4. Lagune Musik (7:27)
B5. Crossriver xylophone (1:55)




Line-up / Musicians
 
- James Adesumole / trap drums (b4/5)
- Ayantunti Amoo / dun dun & bata drums (b4/5)
- Lamidi Ayankunle / yoruba drums, voice (side a, b2) bata drum & vocals (b1/4/5)
- Christian Burchard / percussion, vibes, marimba, cymbal, voice (side a, b1/2/4/5)
- Yomi Fawole / vocals, dun dun drum (b1)
- Andy Ade Frankel / dun dun bata (a2/3)
- Yulius Golombeck / guitar, voice, percussion (side a, b1/2)
- Gerald Hartwig / bass, voice, Yoruba percussion (side a, b1/2), tavil (b4/5)
- Edgar Hofmann / saxophone, violin, flute (side a, b1/2)
- Daniel Koranteng / conga (b4/5)
- Mbayo / voice, dun dun drum (a4)
- Ede Nwigwe / xylophone (b4/5)
- Amos Oguntokun / bata drum (b4/5)
- Ademola Olayiwola / bells, bata drum (b4/5)
- Muraina Oyelami / lead dun dun drum, lead vocals (b1)
- Adeleke Sangoyoyin / dun dun drum (b1)
- Dieter Serfas / drums (side a, b2)
- Peter Serfas / electronic drums (side a)

Afro Linkage Ensemble (b3):
- Kumle Ajayi / bass
- Wole Alade / Alto saxophone, flute (+b4)
- Deji Olaopa / piano
- Wale Popoola / drums
- Ayobami Thomas / percussion
- Melo Yremkye / guitars


From Australia with their 2nd album: The Liberators - Power Struggle

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 Produced by Nate Goldentone aka Nathan Aust (Dojo Cuts, The Liberators) Australian premier afrofunkjazz combo The Liberators are back with the brand new album "Power struggle". Born in an unused factory space in urban Sydney, The Liberators - a compelling 10-piece Afrofunkjazz steamroller - have relentlessly pushed their sound to become leaders in the Australian Afrobeat resurgence. With their second album "Power Struggle", The Liberators have gone deeper and darker into the polyrhythmic, horn-driven realms of Afrobeat, producing eight weighty songs worthy of fueling any revolution. With a maturing mix of jazz, latin, soul and funk, it's obvious the sounds of fracturing world events echo throughout the album. The Liberators produced Power Struggle in Sydney, recording straight to tape in a no-nonsense, no-overdub fashion, capturing the phenomenal vibe of their live shows. Some of these shows include a roof destroying performance alongside Mulatu Astake and Craig Charles at Russ Dewbury's legendary "A Night at Jazz Room". Power Struggle will leave you nodding your head, fist in the air, ready to join the uprising. The Liberators are back, harder and stronger than ever (available November 2013).

kudosrecords.co.uk






Tracklist



01. Cairo Uprising [:03:41]
02. Soul Dive [:04:37]
03. Dark River [:06:05]
04. Red Green Live Die [:04:31]
05. Dos Caras [:05:32]
06. Power Struggle [:05:47]
07. No Friend of Mine [:03:42]
08. Epicoso [:05:11]
09. Water Somewhere feat. Roxie Ray [:03:20]

Red Hot + Fela

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Over the years, AIDS charity Red Hot has recruited a number of musicians worldwide for charity compilations benefiting AIDS awareness and research. These have included both Red Hot + Rio and its sequel, featuring the likes of Beck, David Byrne, and Beirut, and the Rhythms Del Mundo all-star remix album. On October 8th, Knitting Factory Records will unveil Red Hot’s long-in-the-works Fela Kuti covers compilation, Red Hot + Fela.

The 13-track effort features a number of notable collaborations: Questlove and tUnE-yArDs on last year’s cover of “Lady”; Childish Gambino and Just A Band tackling “Who No Know Go No”; My Morning Jacket teaming with Alabama Shakes’ Brittany Howard and tUnE-yArDs’ Merril Garbus on “Trouble Sleep Yanga Wake Am”; TV on the Radio’s Kyp Malone and Tunde Adebimpe’s reworking “Sorrow Tears and Blood”; and Chance the Rapper appearing on a rendition of “Gentleman”.
With a cast of such diverse musicians, organizers opted not to make this a simple Afrobeat album, focusing instead on having contributors emphasize other facets of Kuti’s music.

“Fela’s music has deeply inspired and impacted how we think about music,” said Stuart Bogie, whose band Superhuman Happiness tackled “ITT” and backed-up TV on the Radio. “From critical details like his use of guitars and bass lines in perfect rhythmic counterpoint, to his long and epic forms, his music is a treasure and deep reason for musicians all over the globe. One challenge was maintaining the lyrical integrity. Fela’s poetry is a critical component, and we aren’t satisfied with getting it close – we want our tracks to honor his work the same as you would honor the lyrics of a Beatles, Bob Dylan, or Prince track.”

consequenceofsound.net 

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Fela Kuti lives on. Since his death in 1997, he’s been transformed from musician’s musician with a cult-like following to a worldwide musical icon. The last four years have seen the Broadway hit FELA! win Tony Awards and tour the world, Knitting Factory Records reissue the prolific Nigerian firebrand’s back catalogue, and now, Red Hot.

Red Hot is an AIDS awareness organization currently partnering with cross-genre collaborators representing rock, hip-hop, Americana, and classical for a forthcoming album release of Fela Kuti compositions, Red Hot + Fela (Knitting Factory, October 8, 2013 ). The release includes classic Fela anthems like “Lady” recorded by tUnE-yArDs, Questlove, Angelique Kidjo, and Akua Naru, “Zombie” recorded by Spoek Mathambo, Cerebral Cortex, and Frown, and “Trouble Sleep Yanga Wake Am” recorded by My Morning Jacket, Merrill Garbus (from tUnE-yArDs), and Brittany Howard (from Alabama Shakes) and “Sorrow, Tears & Blood” reworked by the Kronos Quartet along with TV On The Radios’ Kyp Malone and Tune Adembimpe.

Stuart Bogie, who contributed to the album’s “Sorrow Tears and Blood” and “ITT” as a member of Superhuman Happiness, represents a bridge between the early adopters of Afrobeat and the recent recruits of the genre: “Fela's music has deeply inspired and impacted how we think about music,” Bogie reflects. “From critical details like his use of guitars and bass lines in perfect rhythmic counterpoint, to his long and epic forms, his music is a treasure and deep reason for musicians all over the globe.”

Although Fela inspired each and every artist on the album, Afrobeat is not necessarily the musical meat-and-potatoes for most of these musicians, thus presenting challenging responsibilities in recreating Fela’s work. Bogie stated, “One challenge was maintaining the lyrical integrity. Fela's poetry is a critical component, and we aren't satisfied with getting it close - we want our tracks to honor his work the same as you would honor the lyrics of a Beatles, Bob Dylan, or Prince track.”

Each rendition on the album tackles each composition quite differently. Honoring the tradition of Afrobeat, “Lady” presents wailing brass and sax with funky electric guitar while other reinterpretations execute their track with more inventive deviance. For example, “No Buredi” is reimagined as an electro-house track by Nneka, Sinkane, Amayo, and Superhuman Happiness meanwhile dance-inducing R & B and hip-hop flavor “Yellow Fever” recorded by Spoek Mathambo and Zaki Ibrahim.

The partnership between KFR and Red Hot is particularly relevant to Fela Kuti, given that he died of an AIDS-related illness himself. To date, Red Hot has released 18 albums and produced several concert and film series to raise money and awareness to fight AIDs around the world. They have partnered with countless local, national, and international AIDS organizations, all of whom have benefited from releases like Red Hot + Fela.

rockpaperscissors.biz

Red Hot + Fela Tracklist:
01. “Buy Africa” – Baloji & L’Orchestre de la Katuba featuring Kuku
02. “Lady” – tUnE-yArDs, Questlove, Angelique Kidjo + Akua Naru
03. “Yellow Fever” – Spoek Mathambo + Zaki Ibrahim
04. “No Buredi” – Nneka, Sinkane, Amayo + Superhuman Happiness
05. “Who No Know Go No” – Just A Band + Childish Gambino
06. “Trouble Sleep Yanga Wake Am” – My Morning Jacket w/ Merrill Garbus + Brittany Howard
07. “Sorrow Tears and Blood” – TV on the Radio’s Kyp Malone and Tunde Adebimpe, Kronos Quartet + Stuart Bogie
08. “ITT” – Superhuman Happiness w/ Sahr Ngaujah, Abena Koomson + Rubblebucket
09. “Afrodisco Beat 2013″ – Tony Allen, M1 + Baloji
10. “Gentleman” – Just A Band, Bajah + Chance the Rapper
11. “Hi Life Time” – GendEr Infinity
12.
“Zombie” – Spoek Mathambo + Cerebral Cortex + Frown
13. “Go Slow” – King 

Embryo & Yoruba Dun Dun Orchester Feat. Muraina Oyelami

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This album documents the Nigerian musicians’ first visit to Germany and simultaneously shows how EMBRYO (which probably deserves to be recognized as the creator of the “World Music” concept) was already working with the idea of “world music” in the early 1980s. Authentic Yoruba drumming and traditional texts (movingly interpreted by Chief Muraina OYELAMI) beautifully occupy the foreground, while EMBRYO provides a connection to a progressively faster paced “Here and Now” with spacey sax (Edgar Hofmann) and equally spacey guitar (Yulius Golombeck) sounds.

schneeball-records.de 



Tracklist


01. Welt-AB-Originale 3:05
02. Aye-Aye 5:41
03. Bata Solo 11:00
04. Mix III 3:26
05. Just Landed 2:47
06. Dun Dun-Solo I 3:51
07. Dschamilija 6:32
08. Dun-Dun-Solo 3:37
09. A-Ara-E-Che-Kalo 6:43






Orchestre Super Borgou de Parakou ... interview by analogafrica!!!

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Interview with Moussa Mama Djima Parakou - July 15, 2006,

check out the interview and more information  @ analogafrica


Were you born into a family of musicians?

Not exactly. I’m a descendant of a long tradition of blacksmiths originating from Okuta, in western Nigeria. My father was a blacksmith and a goldsmith. Before my birth, he had left to Accra to look for work and came back few years later with music - Highlife in particular. He is the man who brought modern music to the region.He formed Orchestre Sinpam, the very first orchestra of northern Benin. Youngsters from the region heard about it and started flocking to my dad’s house to ask for lessons. Sometimes they would stay just few days, sometimes a month, sometimes longer. Then they would go back to their villages and form their own group. So that’s how modern music spread throughout our department. My dad became an important figure here and he was dubbed Moussa “President.”

So you were literally born into music?

I came into this world in 1947. The exact day is unknown since it was a supplementary decision. Even the month might be wrong. The only sure thing is that I was born on a Friday. That’s why I am called Mama Djima - “Djima” is Friday in Arabic. I grew up in the midst of all this music and I was constantly watching people rehearsing. Before I knew it, music had entered my body. There were festivities happening constantly. At first my dad and his band were the ones performing, but with time, they started to look for other musicians. The first musician they brought was Waidi, a guitar player from Togo. The following year in 1962 they brought a musician from Ouidah (west of Cotonou) called Aaron.That was the timewhen electric guitars started to appear here. I was not really playing the guitar at the that time, but I had learned how to build “native” guitars using brake cables and oil tin.

When did you start playing the guitar?

Well I recall that the following year, the elders had not managed to find an artist to come for the important Ramadan festivities, while all the other neighborhoods were sorted. To avoid embarrassment, I told them that I would play. They asked me, “when did you learn to play?” I told them not to worry and I played and sang the whole night. People couldn’t believe it. I was an introverted child - I didn’t go out that much and people didn’t know what I was doing. So they were wondering if I was a genius or if the devil had taught me to play.That was in 1963 and it’s from there that I started improving bit by bit. The rumor had spread that I was playing well and youngsters from the surrounding villages came to ask me for lessons. We would agree on the price, which would also include accommodation and food. Those who did not have money would pay with bags of millet or meat. Over my whole career, I can say that I taught more then 500 people.

When exactly did you form your first band?

It was in 1964. It was named Alafia Jazz. That was when record players and 7-inch singles started appearing in Benin. The records of Franco et OK Jazz made such a strong impact that we started covering his songs. We excelled to such an extent that fans dubbed me Moussa Mama “Franco.” So, we decided to change the name of the group to OK Jazz. Two years later, we started becoming a very solid bandand started questioning ourselves if it was time to find a name that reflects our origins. We thought for a while and came up with the name Super Borgou de Parakou.

Who were the musicians of Super Borgou?

The original members were Ousmane Amoussa on vocal and gon (metal percussion), Sidi Alassane on drums, Sidi “Korea” Seidou on tumba, congas and drums, Soumeila “Yoruba” Karim backing vocals and maracas, Bio “Copa” Gado on bass, Menou Rock - on rhythm guitar and vocals. I was playing lead guitar and the electric piano and I was the main composer of the band. I also sang. 
  
Were all these guys playing with other bands before?

No, there was no other bands in Parakou when we started. Those were all guys from my neighborhood. We all started together and we had been together since the days of Alafia Jazz.


Did you travel to other regions or other countries?

In 1969, we traveled to Niamey, the capital city of Niger, and found a job at a bar called “Congolaise".It belonged to a former military man from Guinea-Conakry who didn’t like the politics of Sékou Touré. They wanted to kill him so he fled with his wife - A Vietnamese woman, They had a daughter called Zoé. With the little money they had, they opened a bar located in an area filled with immigrants from other African countries, so they named their place “La Congolaise.” They were very good people so we dedicated a song to them called “Congolaise Benin Ye"
  
Did you use your own equipment when performing at the Congolaise?


Yes but it wasn’t equipment of quality at first, but then every time we got some cash we would upgrade. Sometimes it was an amplifier, another time it would be a guitar. They had a good music store in Niamey which I visited frequently. One day, I went to buy a flute and I saw someone playing an instrument I had never seen before. I ask them what it’s called and they told me it’s an electric piano. At that time, we use to play 4 times the week: Tuesday, Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday. The entrance fee was 200 CFA (30 euro cents) and, in 2 months, we could save up to 300,000 CFA (460 euros).So I asked them how much they wanted for that piano and I was told it’s 140,000 CFA (215 euros). So I bought it. I tried to understand how that instrument worked since I wanted to use it for our Saturday gig and it wasn’t a problem. Few days later, I performed “Dadon Gabou Yo Sa Be,” which I had composed using the piano. In those days you could give me any instrument - few hours later I tamed it. 
 
What were the subjects of your compositions?

Its was about life in general - day to day problems. Love, life, death and social issues. We also composed revolutionary songs based on socialist doctrines, encouraging people to work harder for the development of our country. 

Musically speaking, who were your biggest influences?

We listened to a lot of Congolese music - especially Franco - and Guinean music. We also interpreted some Highlife tunes - The Ramblers in particular and some Afro Beat. We were a band of variety, whatever was in fashion at that time, we had to adopt to satisfy the demand. Often we would adopt the beat but then we added lyrics in our local languages, Dendi or Bariba.

Did Super Borgou participate in any contests?

Yes we did a lot of national and regional contests. The first one in 1972. There were two important orchestras here in the Borgou - Anassoua Jazz and Super Borgou. We were often competing to repre- sent the Borgou department at national contests. In 1972, we won and were on our way to Cotonou for the final competition. The band Echos Du Zou represented the Zou department, Orchestre Poly-Rythmo de Cotonou represented the Littoral department and so on. Poly-Rythmo were better then us but they just didn’t follow the rules of the competition. Each group was suppose to compose a tune in the local language and based on a traditional rhythm from their department. The government was planning to send the winner abroad to represent the country, so it was very important that you perform music that nobody else anywhere in the world could perform better then you. Poly-Rythmo performed very well but it was Congolese and Cuban music. As for us, we played modern renditions of our folklore.We won and left for the international music festival in Berlin. We stayed 45 days. On our way back I composed a song called “Festival Berlin 73.”

Esbee Family – Chics and Chicken (get it!)

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Holy shit. First of all, this record is called Chics and Chicken. Second of all, the cover is three women sharing a plate of chicken. This is one of those rare finds where the cover is so incredibly awesome that you’re praying for the music to be as good, and it turns out the music is BETTER than you wanted it to be. This is some seriously bumpin’ African boogie disco from Esbee Family, a Nigerian boogie funk group from the early 80s (I think?). I can’t find much information on this record but shit I love it. I can’t really find a good scan of the cover either, and don’t have a digital camera or a mac with photobooth with which to take a picture. There are some cool moog sounds and 1980 drumz, funky geetar, and generally everything you’d expect from a disco record called Chics and Chicken. The pressing I found is a bit off center so it kind of sounds warped sometimes one the first side, but to be honest, I think it makes it sound better. Especially the closer it gets to the center it just sounds more and more demented, like someone filtered it through a fucked up LFO. Pretty awesome. The B side isn’t pressed incorrectly though, so those tracks sound “better.” That being said, not every track is the best ever, but I’ll Give You Love (the opener on the A Side) is super awesome as well as the title track which opens the B Side.


 







Nigerian boogie: Hotline - You Are Mine (get it!)

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VERY RARE IN DEMAND BOOGIE DISCO FUNK LP ON BLACKSPOT RECORDS NIGERIA, EARLY 80S- BSR29  - Fantastic boogie disco LP - one of the best from Nigeria at this time.

collectorsfrenzy.com

Cult Nigerian Disco LP with a unique sound, great production, heavy on the dancefloor, very in-demand! Check 'can you do it' and 'desire' - very clean vinyl, cover with a lot of wear and taped seams 

cdandlp.com

Insanely Rare Nigeria Boogie Funk record, with a heavy synth moog sound, very unique, All Tracks killer. The most incredible thing about this group is that they had a very unique sound. This Nigerian group were miles ahead of their time and as far as I know this is the only release by them.

worthpoint.com








Tracklist


Side A:
1. CAN YOU DO IT
2. STAY CLOSE-
3. LET'S MERGE
Side B:
1. DOING IT IN LAGOS
2. DESIRE-
3. YOU ARE MINE

Ayetoro - Asoju Oba E.P.

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"We make music to make you dance and think as well... to transport you to places beyond the dance floor where your soul will be your pilot." ... Funsho Ogundipe

Ajoke Music & Africa-Related is proud to present the latest album by the internationally acclaimed Afrobeat/Jazz band Ayetoro. The long awaited EP 'ASOJU OBA' was officially launched on September 8, 2012 .

Pianist, composer, arranger and music director ‘Funsho Ogundipe, who has been describedas a maverick in the Nigerian music scene defying any easy pigeonhole says, "Today’s Ayetoro is experimenting with music genres such as Rap, Poetry, Neo-Soul and Blues and what remains unchanged is the quality of our music. There are no compromises there. The brand is rooted in tradition, yet very modern." ‘Funsho Ogundipe

'ASOJU OBA', the band’s 5th studio album which translates to ‘the king’s observer’, pays homage to the deep cultural ties between Bahia in Brazil and the Yorubas in Nigeria, Benin, Togo and Ghana. It features three tracks which showcases the band expanding its musical base to cover contemporary Neo-soul and Hip Hop while retaining its jazz core.

‘Baba don go' is a tribute to Fela Kuti, featuring Lady Jay Wah from Ghana on vocals, Skillz from Nigeria on spoken word, solos by Byron Wallen and Shabakka Hutchings from the UK. 'Seeds in the Pod/Love is my Religion' is where Afrobeat meets conscious Hip Hop, and guest stars rapper Mendo, Caroline Fusi singing the hook with Ogundipe taking piano solos. It was inspired by the Sufi poet Abu Bakr Ibn al Arabi. The album was recorded at Alpha Junes (Lagos), Livingstone Studio (London) and Pidgen (Accra) and mastered by Sonny at Spare Dougal (London). The colourful and symbolic album cover was created by the Brazilian artist Prila Paiva from Sao Paulo.

Ogundipe plays a sweet melody on the piano with a rhythmic fluidity that bridges the gap between Afrobeat, Jazz and Funk with reflections on the past and present of both genres with style and grace. Ayetoro swings a hot eclectic number, sings a witty song about modern life, and then reaches deep for a soulful expression of values in a troubled world.

Oyiza Adaba of Ayetoro’s management says ‘the launch is an opportunity to address core issues surrounding harnessing authentic Nigerian music as export products, as well as give a one-of-a-kind culturally blended show to the band’s loyal fans worldwide who have supported the band for the last 16 years’.

This latest effort solidifies the band’s posterity with working with outstanding artists, great instrumentalists and Jazz musicians worldwide, and sets the stage for a well deserved local and international recognition.

prlog.org

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With Asoju Oba, Ogundipe takes Afrobeat to a new level 


OVERLOOKING the lagoon along Awolowo Road, Ikoyi, Lagos, Ember Creek resonated with exotic Afrobeat sounds last week Saturday. The occasion was the album launch of Asoju Oba, Funso Ogundipe’s latest Afrobeat project – with Aiyetoro in actual performance. With an audience that also included Lagos State commissioner for culture, Mr. Hollaway, devotees screamed and yelled appreciatively to the dynamics of Aiyetoro’s new music even as the soaked up wine and soft drinks to fuel their unquenchable appetite for more music.

Parading a front line horn section of tenor saxophone, alto saxophone and trombone, with of course a formidable rhythm section which featured the bass guitar, an emphasized conga drum and a busy talking drum, Aiyetoro reached out with a brilliantly formidable sound. And of course, the sound of the electric piano played by Funso Ogundipe himself served as the rallying point for all the instruments as he filled in with single notes and chorded solos that were carefully selected and articulated.

The problem with album launches of this type is usually the ability to match recorded quality with live performance. The situation was quite different here as the live performance became more appealing and attractive – on account of the bands level of musicianship.

As I told the crew of ‘studio 53’ who came to cover the event, Afrobeat is by tradition a fusion of elements of African music with jazz. But what marks Aiyetoro’s new approach out as a unique dimension is the deliberate effort to introduce jazz to the music in order to internationalise it. I am not given to the song by song, bar by bar dissection of music when it come, to reviews and appreciation, but suffice it to say that the new Afrobeat is full of dynamics, surprises, unpredictability, release and suspense, criss cross rhythms and what have you.

Like Britain’s Soweto Klinch whom I saw for the first time in 2004 at the North Sea Jazz Festival in Capetown, South Africa, Aiyetoro has introduced hip ho and rap to jazz and Afrobeat. While Soweto prompts his ‘rappers’ with the dexterity of his alto saxophone, Ogundipe compels his two ‘rappers’ with piano statements and well articulated riffs created by a horn section whose overall sound reaches out brilliantly and effectively because of the clean tones that the instruments elicit.

Funso Ogundipe’s Afrobeat is devoid of vocalization, the type that has come to be associated with politics and protect (as established by the music’s icon and creator himself, but Aiyetoro makes up for this with various dynamic elements – to hold the listener spell bound. The band is so busy that the songs are interpersonal with variations – as if it is a symphony. The ‘intros’ are very well calculated, followed by melodic themes after which solos that are characterized by sweet phrases and the brilliant tonal conception are articulated. Like Duke Ellington, Count Basic or even Ahmad Jamal of the Ahmed Jamal Trio, pianist and band leader rounds up with thematic configurations – most of which are derived from single notes. The appearances of rappers whose poems are designed to suit the themes of the songs help to take the music not only to a contemporary level where it appeals to the youth, in general terms, the entire approach helps to up date Afrobeat in the process of taking it to a new level.

Yinka Davis, perhaps the most powerful female jazz singer around – is not a member of Aiyetoro but she breezed in to identify with this unique and classy album launch. In her characteristic informal manner, she sang one of the band’s popular songs employing commentaries of her own improvisational source and establishing a rappour with the audience.

One of the beautiful highlights of  Aiyetoros new music is the deliberate effort to Africanise the music – not only with melodic themes and structures but also through the rhythm section. And this is where the talking drums donates – within rhythmic patterns that are specially created for it, the conga bass guitar and the trap drums.

Asoju Oba, the title theme of the CD in Yoruba literally means the kings spokesman, but there is a significant story behind it which will be told in a subsequent review.

However, the tune, Asoju Oba is appropriately dedicated to Thelonious Monk, an esoteric pianist who deserves to be called the king of pianist. It has a sub title, Italy Fingers. The first song is dedicated to the king of Afrobeat, Fela Anikulapo Kuti and it is titled, Baba don go (Baba has gone) while the third recorded song, seeds in a pod/love is my religion is dedicated to the memory of the late great Gil Scott-Heron.

Aiyetoro was founded by Funsho Ogundipe in 1996 after twenty years of piano-playing in different contexts. A large part of that time was spent understudying Fela Anikulapo Kuti’s composing and arranging style with his Egypt ’80 band. Ogundipe also spent time listening to different Lagos-based bands including the Extended Family led by Tunde and Fran Kuboye, Jahstik featuring Majek Fashek, Femi Kuti’s Jazz Quintet and the Art Alade Ensemble.

To date Aiyetoro has released five albums names Naija Blues (1996); something Dey (1998), The Afrobeat Chronicles Vols 1 (2002) and 2 (2006). The latest work, Asoju Oba has taken Aiyetoro’s accomplishments to a new level and a high height.

In 1999, Ogundipe moved to London to seek new challenges. While there, he formed another version of Aiyetoro which featured the cream of the U.K. jazz musicians including trumpeter Byron Wallen, bassist Orefo Orakwe, percussionist Lekan Babalola and Angela Alhucema; tenor saxophone player. Shabaka Hutchings and Ayo Odia. This band would begin the Afrobeat chronicles series in 2002.
In his search for new dimensions in African music and jazz, while he was still in London, we met at Jazz Café’ where the famous avant garde saxophone player Archie Shepp performed.

In 2007, Ogundipe decided to repeat Fela Kuti’s Ghanaian experience by moving to Ghana to work with Ghanaian musicians including the drummer C.C. Franks, bassist Phillip Acquah and Poducer Panji Anoff. The result of this whole Ghanaian experience is evident in the latest album, Asoju Oba where each of his outfits based in London, Accra and Lagos contributes a track.

For Ogundipe, music is Art and Art is life. His musical heroes are Miles Davis, Sun Ra, Duke Ellington and Fela Anikulapo Kuti.

ngrguardiannews.com






New Australian afrobeat: The Afrobiotics

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The Afrobiotics are a six piece Melbourne based band that breathe new life into the sound of West Africa and bring a powerful message of resistance to the next generation of afro-beat.

“Make your power a fire, so we can cook enough for all …” chants Mr Fantastic out front of The Afrobiotics as guitars weave layers of rhythm and the hypnotic bass and drums ready the dance floor for a rapid crossfire between the organ and horns. This is afro-beat medicine administered directly to your soul.

Mr Fantastic (Lamine Sonko) is a Senegalese griot musician who has recently migrated to Australia. He is a ‘Culture Keeper’ bringing traditional Sabar music and dance forms to the band’s compositions as well as a first hand afro-beat authenticity. The songs flip in and out of traditional tongue, street pidgin chants and English verse regularly punctuated by impossible percussion.

theafrobiotics.com








Voodoo Funk: An Exotic Creature in West Africa

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Voodoo Funk: An Exotic Creature in West Africa 
(originally published @ hyponik.com)

Whilst most of us are slaves to the 9-5, Voodoo Funk’s Frank Gossner has been busy fulfilling his dream. Refusing to adhere to the norm, he’s dedicated his life to acting on impulse and travelling the world with an incredibly refreshing attitude that one can’t help but admire. Having previously lived in New York and Berlin, 2005 marked a landmark in Gossner’s life as he decided to give up everything and spend 3 years of his life living in West Africa with the direct intention of collecting records. 5 years later and one amazing blog later, he’s running one of the best re-issue labels around in the form of Voodoo Funk. The imprint brings you the best funk, soul and disco Africa has to offer to a Western audience, with a focus on the slew of superb and largely unknown music the area has to offer.
With a recent run of 12”s proving to be essential purchases for any aficionados of the genre, we caught up with Frank as he relaxes in his current location of Costa Rica to discuss politics, cockroaches and the pursuit of happiness…

Hey Frank, how’s it going? You’re in Costa Rica at the moment, what are you getting up to over there? Any digging?

No, I’m not doing any digging around here, I’m still 100% focused on West African music. I moved to Costa Rica with the intention to enjoy the country, do some surfing, hike the mountains and collect epyphitic orchids and bromeliads. I’m also still going to Africa at least once a year and working on various re-issue projects.

Going back to the beginning, how exactly did you get into African music?

I was friends with Phillip Lehman, the owner of Desco Records, when I lived in NYC back in the 90s and got to see some of the very first performances of Antibalas. It was then that I started listening to some Fela Kuti records. I was doing this Deep Funk night in Berlin from 2000 to 2005 and kept going over to the US to go on digging trips. Sometime in 2004 (I think) I was digging for funk 45s at this defunct old record store in Philadelphia and for some strange reason they had an few dozen mint releases from the Nigerian Tabansi label sitting in their office, amongst them the incredibly rare Pax Nicholas album that I would later re-issue on Daptone Records. At around the same time I bought the first few Soundway releases and it became clear that there must be much, much more exciting stuff out there than just Fela records.

What was the tipping point for you to go from a guy who just seeks what he can get his hands on in the Western market to going to the source? It’s a sign of dedication that few people have.

Well, if you’re anywhere outside of Africa, you are limited to reissues – which at around 2004 or 2005 wasn’t too much. Sure there was the occasional obscure looking original African record you could buy on eBay but those rarely had sound clips, often looked very intriguing but then the music wasn’t always what I was looking for. A lot of people have been going to Africa for records for years now, so there’s been a lot more African vinyl floating around on eBay. In fact, I think we’ve actually reached a threshold now as these records become increasingly harder to find in Africa itself.

I always love going places. Even when I was still collecting and DJing US deep funk 45s and bought loads of records online, it was still important to me to go get at least some of my records from the source. This way you can experience the culture out of which the music was born. You get to see the places, eat the food, maybe take in some live music. That’s a much more rewarding thing to do than staring at a computer screen.

In 2005 I had just unexpectedly run into a significant amount of money so I just decided to go for it and move to West Africa. I had originally aimed for Ghana or Benin but then my wife managed to get a job in Guinea which had, and to some extend still has, an incredible music scene. The capital Conakry is only a few hours by car away from Sierra Leone and it’s capital city of Freetown, which had just come to peace after a long and horrible civil war. Freetown was where Nigerian funk superstar Geraldo Pino had begun his career and there were several indicators that records could be found there and because of the long war it was clear that no other digger had been there in recent years. So we just went, packed our stuff and moved to Africa.

It’s admirable that you’re willing to drop everything to follow your dreams, whether it be moving to Africa to collect records or Costa Rica to collect orchids. How do you perceive the way you live your life? I think a lot of people would love to have the conviction to fulfill their ambitions like you do but maybe don’t believe it’s possible…

I’m a firm believer that anything is possible if you really want it, at least if you’re willing to put in the work and to accept the risks and possible consequences. Leading an impulsive life that focuses on enjoying myself to the fullest works for me because I don’t have a family to raise and never had any interest in pursuing a conventional career, owning a house or even having a retirement plan.

Did you get any strange reactions being a white Western guy who’s obviously really into African music? Did some of the locals have a bit of trouble getting their head around it?

Not really. Away from the bigger cities, just by being white you already stand out as an exotic creature and get lots of attention. Once you explain that you’re looking for records the first reaction is never surprise or disbelief but people immediately start thinking how they can help you and you find yourself being led though alleyways, from one house to another on a never ending string of wild goose chases. Older people often revel in remembering their youth and seeing these bands live and just love hearing their old records being played again on your portable turntable. And after all, collecting old records is probably the least alienating white man eccentricity they might have experienced or heard of.

Of course, your trips are about far more than just collecting records. What is it about Africa that you really love and makes you keep coming back?

It’s hard to explain, I’m sure everybody who’s ever been to West Africa knows what it is though. There’s the feeling that just about anything, good or bad can happen at pretty much any time. I mean taking an overland bus in Nigeria for one example is pretty much like playing Russian roulette. Traffic anywhere in West Africa can be pretty mind-blowing but Nigeria is on a whole other level. There are huge potholes everywhere that would snap an axle right in half and yet everybody’s driving at break neck speed like they are on the Autobahn. The unbelievable speed, the condition of the road and vehicles and the added constant danger of being stopped by armed highway robbers make for a pretty intense adrenaline rush. Then you have the serenity of some of the smaller towns you stay at where time just appears to stand still, the intensity of the heat, cold beer and good conversation with people you just met. Each different area of every country can be extremely different to anything you’ve seen before, it’s hard to put it in words but it’s all very addictive.

Fela Kuti is probably the most prominent artist in West African music, with a real focus on the political. How far do you think that the political message is important in African funk?

Political messages are always bogus regardless how they are packaged. I’m not a believer in any form of political system. To me, they’re all flawed and all men who are in any position of power are evil. They don’t all start out that way but that’s what they become. Some hide it better than others of course but they are all full of shit.

There is actually very little African music besides Fela that is openly political. Fela’s lyrics can be amazing descriptions of the flaws and the problems Nigeria has had at the time (unfortunately today it’s even worse) but when it comes to his own political aspirations I’m more than skeptical. Most African dictators had originally started out as freedom fighters, liberators, rebels and the like…

I have to tell you that while of course I’m a huge fan of Fela’s music and especially of his earlier lyrics, especially Shuffering and Shmiling, ITT, Yellow Fever, to name a few, I don’t at all like the way he’s being portrayed as some sort of freedom bringer or messiah by people in America or in Europe. Generally I don’t support the glorification of any person. People are always flawed. There’s always a dark side. Glorification distorts and simplifies a person and insults the complexity of human nature. Fela surrounded himself with some pretty hardcore street thugs that he had hired as security at his compound. Some of the EMI producers talked about having received death threats if they don’t do what they were told and Fela treated his musicians mostly pretty badly and I also don’t think they enjoyed being beat up by police and thrown in jail because of Fela’s antics. That’s one of the reasons why they refused to go back with him after that ’78 show in Berlin, that and the rumours he was going to use the proceeds for the European tour to fund his presidential campaign.

Politics in Africa is an incredible topic. There is a ton of material online for anybody who’s interested can read up on. I don’t think pop music is the adequate forum though.

A lot of the places you went digging in Africa didn’t have the best conditions. It seems that pretty much everywhere was crawling with cockroaches and caked in mud. Is there anything that would stop you looking through a crate?

No, I would never be stopped looking though a crate for any reason, I always found amazing stuff just towards the bottom of the most un-promising looking vessel. With time I’ve grown completely indifferent to cockroaches. In coastal West Africa they’re everywhere, you’re in their natural habitat. After moving onto our house in Conakry I dug up a small field to plant vegetables and the soil was literally crawling with roaches, there were whole nests of them.

What advice would you give to anyone wanting to follow in your footsteps?

To not expect too much. Unfortunately, countries like Ghana, Togo and Benin have been pretty much run dry by now. I still have a steady stream of records coming from Nigeria but over there you need a network of local diggers otherwise the chances of finding anything worthwhile are fairly slim.

You’ve found a lot of unique records on your travels, do you ever think there’s an issue of the rarity of a record over-shadowing the actual quality of the music? Sometimes in record collecting I get the feeling that people just want a record because no-one else owns it, rather than because they truly love the music.

I don’t know, I think that’s a matter of your own personal decision. If somebody wants to collect rare records why not? Of course there is an appeal in owning unique things. If a DJ wants to put together a box of records that nobody else has then this puts him at an advantage towards the competition and it offers other people the chance to hear music they haven’t heard before. Every consumer has the option to buy or listen to whatever music they want and I wouldn’t want to judge over their motives. At least they’re listening to music and listening to music is always good for you.

 There’s a bit of a jump from collecting records to running a label. What’s your vision behind Voodoo Funk as a label?

I’m not sure if I have a vision. I’m a very impulsive kind of person and never really have a long-term plan for anything… For now I’m in the middle of a series of 5 Nigerian Disco and Boogie 12″s and there’ll be an amazingly deep Afro Funk album by the Martin Brothers coming out in a couple of months. Once these 6 releases are on the market we’ll see what the numbers look like and if this seems like a sustainable venture there might be more or maybe I’ll decide to spend more time surfing the beaches and hiking the cloud forests of Central America.

You must have an absolutely huge collection of music, how did you manage to decide what records you wanted to reissue?

At this time most my entire collection is in a storage facility on Berlin. I decided to not move my records to Costa Rica with me because of the high risk of house robberies, earthquakes (we had a 6.5 a few months ago and a 4-5 every couple of weeks) and mould because of the tropical humidity. Right now I’m selecting my reissues from whatever new stock I have coming in from my friends in Ghana and Nigeria.

How do you process the sheer volume of music that must come into your hands. Do you have a system to make sure every record you receive is listened to, or is it a bit more relaxed than that?

I don’t have much of a system. When I have new records coming in, I always clean them up as best as possible. Then I wait for a good day to listen to them, put aside what goes into the DJ pile and decide what to keep for my own, personal collection. Everything then usually gets stored away in my record room and whenever I feel like listening to a certain record, I go in there and usually emerge an hour or so later with a stack of stuff that more often than not doesn’t include what I initially set out to find… I’m not really a librarian. Right now I actually don’t have too many records at the house because I shipped everything off into storage last year so I basically started again from scratch. It’s going to be interesting once I’m reunited with my main collection.

You seem to be a fan of the aesthetics of African records, at least judging from the time you’ve put into the presentation of the latest 12″s. Would you say that’s true?

Yes, of course. It was important to me to do something special with the packaging, I wanted to put them into company sleeves to give them that typical Disco Maxi Single look but then I also wanted to represent the look of the original record the songs were taken from. I figured the best way to do this would be to add a poster. Nobody puts out records with bonus posters anymore and I just love posters.

I’m a big admirer of the artwork on African records from all musical genres and eras. For years I’ve been planning on doing a coffee table book with my friend Uchenna Ikonne from Comb & Razor, who’s also been facilitating the licensing for most of my releases and some day I’m sure we’re going to do it. You’ll need a strong coffee table because this thing is going to be heavy…

What’s your plans for the future of Voodoo Funk? The last two 12″s came out in a pretty short period of time, can we expect to see this rate maintained?

Oh yeah, we’re going to keep knocking them out one after the other. All 5 should be out before the first snow.

Finally, what’s your most prized possession? I assume it might be a record?

I actually prize my freedom and the joy of living much higher than any object. Records are just pieces of plastic and cardboard. Don’t get me wrong, records are great things as far as things go. They provide a unique thrill when you try to hunt them down and finding a great record that you never knew existed can be quite exhilarating. It feels really good to play them for people and to get a crowd to dance to music they’ve never heard before. I also love to listen to music all by myself and I also can’t deny that it’s nice to have objects around that mean something to me but I can be just as content while sitting down with a book or drinking with a good friend.


Thanx for an interesting interview, 
Patrick Henderson!



Post No. 650: Esbee Family ‎– Peace Of Mind (get it)

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Tracklist

A1 Peace Of Mind
A2 Gin And Lime
A3 My Man Understands
A4 Falling In Love
B1 Come Party
B2 Cheerful Giver
B3 Chics Are Magnets
B4 All Alone (I Dont Know What To Do)

De Frank Professionals - Psychedelic Man (get it)

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Originally published by amazing digging4gold!



Well Folks, here it is.

Yet another highly sought-after gem from Ghanaian funketeer - De Frank.  Much like other renown West African funk artists - Ambolley, Geraldo Pino, Harry Masco - De Frank’s catalogue affirms his admiration for American funk and soul.  On “psychedelic Man” he  goes all in and does away with most of the highlife and other Ghanaian rhythms found on some of his other recordings - one which we featured a while back - and replaces it with english-induced afro-soul and the occasional reggae number.

Most often, the record is noted for the track “Call Me frank,” but the real standout is the song right after. “Waiting for My Baby” embodies everything I love about Afro-funk:  moody organ chords, dirty horn lines, and a driving pulse, all accented by De frank’s signature high-pitched vocals. De frank allows the band to breath over the instrumental, adding little more than the title name as a chorus, with the occasional added line, which he sings just long enough to give the listener a break before ushering back the horns.

This track is beautiful in every way and yet another testament to De Frank’s gifted musical ability.





Tracklist

A1 I Don't Know The World Is One
A2 Think Of The Future
A3 Psychedelic Man
B1 Let's Make The Music
B2 Call Me Frank
B3 Waiting For My Baby
B4 Man No Cry
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