Category Archives: Afrobeat
RHYTHM ON THE RADIO: OVAL RECORDS-SINGLES 1974-1987.
RHYTHM ON THE RADIO: OVAL RECORDS-SINGLES 1974-1987. By 1972, Charlie Gillette was a successful journalist, based in London. He wrote for various publications on both sides of the Atlantic, including Creem, NME and Let It Rock. Occasionally, Charlie presented the BBC TV music program The Old Grey Whistle Test. It was a program that suited Charlie’s …
PAT THOMAS-COMING HOME-ORIGINAL GHANAIAN HIGHLIFE AND AFROBEAT CLASSICS.
PAT THOMAS-COMING HOME-ORIGINAL GHANAIAN HIGHLIFE AND AFROBEAT CLASSICS. During a long and illustrious career that has spanned six decades, Ghanaian highlife master Pat Thomas, became known as the “the golden voice of Africa.” Now aged sixty-five, and one of the veterans of African music, Pat Thomas continues to make music. That’s no surprise. All Pat …
MARY AFI USUA-AFRICAN WOMAN.
MARY AFI USUA-AFRICAN WOMAN. When Mary Afi Usuah released her sophomore album African Woman on Clover Music in 1978, very few people outside of Nigeria heard the album. That was despite Mary Afi Usuah having performed in front of hundreds of thousands of music fans. Mary Afi Usuah had spent thirteen years touring Europe with …
SPACE ECHO-THE MYSTERY BEHIND THE COSMIC SOUND OF CABO VERDE FINALLY REVEALED!
SPACE ECHO-THE MYSTERY BEHIND THE COSMIC SOUND OF CABO VERDE FINALLY REVEALED! In the spring of 1968, dockers in Baltimore, loaded cargo onto a ship bound for Rio De Janeiro, in Brazil. For the dockers, it was just another day at the “office.” This was what they did, day in, day out. No longer did …
IDRIS ACKAMOOR AND THE PYRAMIDS-WE BE ALL AFRICANS.
IDRIS ACKAMOOR AND THE PYRAMIDS-WE BE ALL AFRICANS. By the time The Pyramids arrived at the UC Berkeley Jazz Festival in 1977, they had established a reputation as one of the most exciting and innovative live bands on the international circuit. The Pyramids shows were unique, and were a mixture of percussive, spiritual and space-age …
KONONO Nº1 MEETS BATIDA.
KONONO Nº1 MEETS BATIDA. In 2008, Konono Nº1 won a Grammy Award for their 2007 album Live At Couleur Café. It was released on Crammed Discs, and was the third album Konono Nº1 had released since producer Vincent Kenis rediscovered the group just a few years earlier. By then, Konono Nº1 were already approaching veteran …
SENEGAL 70-SONIC GEMS AND PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED GEMS FROM THE 70S VINYL EDITION.
SENEGAL 70-SONIC GEMS AND PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED GEMS FROM THE 70S VINYL EDITION. For their first release of 2016, Senegal 70 Sonic Gems and Previously Unreleased Recordings From The 70s, Analog Africa return to what was the musical capital of West Africa, Senegal. It had one of the most vibrant musical scenes in West Africa. That …
THE FIFTY-FIVE BEST COMPILATIONS OF 2015-PART 3.
THE FIFTY-FIVE BEST COMPILATIONS OF 2015-PART 3. GROOVE WITH A FEELING-SOUNDS OF MEMPHIS-BOOGIE, SOUL AND FUNK 1975-1985. By 1975, soul music was no longer as popular as it had once had been. Executives running the Sounds Of Memphis label realised this; and between 1975 and 1985, the label released a much more eclectic selection of …
THE FIFTY-FIVE BEST COMPILATIONS OF 2015-PART 5.
THE FIFTY-FIVE BEST COMPILATIONS OF 2015-PART 5. PRIVATE WAX VOLUME TWO. Private Wax Volume Two was released on BBE Music in October 2015. This is another compilation of “Super Rare Boogie and Disco Compiled By Zaflovevinyl.” Given their rarity, it’s no wonder it’s taken three years to compile Private Wax Volume Two. However, if anyone …
THE BEST 50 REISSUES OF 2015-PART TWO.
THE BEST 55 REISSUES OF 2015-PART TWO. EJI OYEWOLE- CHARITY BEGINS AT HOME. In the sixties and seventies, the Nigerian music scene was thriving. New bands were constantly being formed. Similarly, new artists were making an impression on Nigerian music. This included Eji Oyewole. However, the flautist, saxophonist and future bandleader was different from his …
SENEGAL 70-SONIC GEMS AND PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED GEMS FROM THE 70S.
SENEGAL 70-SONIC GEMS AND PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED GEMS FROM THE 70S. For their final release of 2015, Senegal 70 Sonic Gems and Previously Unreleased Recordings From The 70s, Analog Africa return to what was the musical capital of West Africa, Senegal. It had one of the most vibrant musical scenes in West Africa. That had been …
RIM AND KASA-TOO TOUGH.
RIM AND KASA-TOO TOUGH. Music was in Rim Kwaku Obeng’s blood. Both his father and uncle were master drummers. So it was no surprise when he followed in their footsteps. He started life as Samuel K. Mfojo, in Begoro, Ghana. However, when his career in music began, he adopted the name Rim Kwaku Obeng. He …
EJI OYEWOLE-CHARITY BEGINS AT HOME.
EJI OYEWOLE-CHARITY BEGINS AT HOME. In the sixties and seventies, the Nigerian music scene was thriving. New bands were constantly being formed. Similarly, new artists were making an impression on Nigerian music. This included Eji Oyewole. However, the flautist, saxophonist and future bandleader was different from his contemporaries and peers. Eji Oyewole was born in …
RIM KWAKU OBENG-RIM ARRIVES.
RIM KWAKU OBENG-RIM ARRIVES. For collectors of Afro-funk and disco, many albums remain tantalisingly out of reach. This includes Ghanian drummer Rim Kwaku Obeng’s legionary lost debut album Rim Arrives. It was released in 1977, four years after a perilous time for Rim Kwaku Obeng. He found himself stranded in London, without money, documents or …
AMARA TOURE-1973-1980.
AMARA TOURE-1973-1980. Amara Touré’s recording career lasted just seven years. It started in 1973, and finished in 1980. His discography consists of just ten tracks. This includes three singles, and the four tracks on his 1980 album Accompagné Par L’Orchestre Massako. These ten tracks comprise Amara Touré’s discography. While that might not seem like much, …
PAT THOMAS AND KWASHIBU AREA BAND-PAT THOMAS AND KWASHIBU AREA BAND.
PAT THOMAS AND KWASHIBU AREA BAND-PAT THOMAS AND KWASHIBU AREA BAND. By the time Pat Thomas was in high school, he already knew what he wanted to be. He wanted to sing highlife. This wasn’t surprising, as he came from a musical family. Pat Thomas’ father taught music theory, his mother was a bandleader and …
DJ VADIM AND SENA-GROW SLOW.
DJ VADIM AND SENA-GROW SLOW. Ten years ago, Sena and her band made long the journey from Accra in Ghana, to Budapest, Hungary to play at a festival. Sena never thought anything of it at the time when she agreed to the booking. Granted she was excited to be playing at such a prestigious festival. …
HIGHLIFE ON THE MOVE-SELECTED NIGERIAN AND GHANIAN RECORDINGS FROM LONDON AND LAGOS-1954-1966.
HIGHLIFE ON THE MOVE-SELECTED NIGERIAN AND GHANIAN RECORDINGS FROM LONDON AND LAGOS-1954-1966. The importance of Highlife in modern Nigerian and Ghanian culture can’t be understated. It was, after all, the first genre of modern popular music in both countries. As such, it’s important to recognise and celebrate, the importance of Highlife in Nigeria and Ghana. …
dereksmusicblog
dereksmusicblog 