Category Archives: Afrobeat
ATA KAK-OBAA SIMA.
ATA KAK-OBAA SIMA. Twenty-one years ago, back in 1994, Ata Kak originally released his debut album Obaa Sima. It was no ordinary album. Obaa Sima was released with the help of his college professor and Ata’s twin brother. His brother designed the artwork for the cassette, and Professor O.A. DeGraft Johnson, helped release Obaa Sima …
THE FIFTY BEST NEW ALBUMS OF 2014-PART 2.
THE FIFTY BEST NEW ALBUMS OF 2014-PART 2. DJ VADIM-DUBCATCHER. For Dubcatcher, the followup to DJ Vadim’s critically acclaimed tenth album, Don’t Be Scared, he dawned the role of hip hop’s first DJ superhero. That’s apparent from the Dubcatcher’s album cover. Looking like a cross between Robin, Bananaman and Goldfinger, a vinyl wielding DJ Vadim’s …
THE FIFTY BEST NEW ALBUMS OF 2014-PART 3.
THE FIFTY BEST NEW ALBUMS OF 2014-PART 3. KROKOFANT-KROKOFANT. What do you get if you cross a crocodile with an elephant? A Krokofant. For those not familiar with this surreal hybrid, then you’ve never heard the popular Norwegian children’s song. The Krokofant has been described as “a lumbering trumpeting beast with a fearsome array of …
THE FIFTY BEST NEW ALBUMS OF 2014-PART 4.
THE FIFTY BEST NEW ALBUMS OF 2014-PART 4. DOUG PAISLEY-STRONG FEELINGS. Doug Paisley is a refreshing alternative to much of music that’s released nowadays. He’s not the result of major label hype or the winner of some tedious talent show. These are the type of artists who nowadays, are hyped as the future of music. …
THE FIFTY BEST NEW ALBUMS OF 2014-PART 5.
THE FIFTY BEST NEW ALBUMS OF 2014-PART 5. SUPERSILENT-12. Four long years have passed, since Supersilent released their eighth album 11 on Rune Grammofon. Since 2010, Supersilent’s fans have eagerly awaited the next chapter in the Supersilent story. At last, the wait is over. Supersilent recently released their ninth album 12, on Rune Grammofon. 12 …
THE FIFTY BEST COMPILATIONS OF 2014-PART 4.
THE FIFTY BEST COMPILATIONS OF 2014-PART 4. NEW ORLEANS SOUL: THE ORIGINAL SOUND OF NEW ORLEANS SOUL 1960-1976. Over the past ten years, Soul Jazz Records have been documenting the history of New Orleans’ funk. They’ve released a number of lovingly compiled, and critically acclaimed compilations. These compilations were some of the best compilations of …
THE FIFTY BEST COMPILATIONS OF 2014-PART 5.
THE FIFTY BEST COMPILATIONS OF 2014-PART 5. STRANGE BREAKS AND MR. THING III. One of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed compilation series made a welcome return in May 2014. That’s Strange Breaks and Mr. Thing III. It’s been a long time coming. Five years in fact. So, after a five year back, Mr. …
VERCKYS ET L’ORCHESTRE VEVE-CONGOLESE FUNK, AFROBEAT AND PSYCHEDELIC RUMBA 1969-1978.
VERCKYS ET L’ORCHESTRE VEVE-CONGOLESE FUNK, AFROBEAT AND PSYCHEDELIC RUMBA 1969-1978. There’s a very good reason Georges Mateta Kiamuangana a.k.a Verckys, can remember the 5th of April 1969. It was the exact date he founded Orchestre Vévé. He’d just returned from Paris, where he suffered a life-threatening illness. At the time, Georges was a member of …
DJESSOU MORY KANTE-RIVER STRINGS: MANIKA GUITAR.
DJESSOU MORY KANTE-RIVER STRINGS: MANIKA GUITAR. Twenty years have passed since Djessou Mory Kanté released his debut album N’na Niwalé (Merci Les Mères). Since then, Djessou Mory Kanté has established a reputation as one of the most talented African guitarists. That’s why Djessou Mory Kanté is the go-to-guitarist for the great and good of African …
SPIRIT OF MALOMBO: MALOMBO JAZZ MAKERS, JABULA AND JAZZ AFRIKA 1966-1984.
SPIRIT OF MALOMBO: MALOMBO JAZZ MAKERS, JABULA AND JAZZ AFRIKA 1966-1984. Four years have passed since the last instalment in Strut Records’ critically acclaimed Next Stop Soweto series. At last, however, the wait is over. Recently, Strut Records have released Spirit of Malombo: Malombo, Jazz Makers, Jabula and Jazz Afrika 1966-1984. This is a double …
1970s ALGERIAN PROTO-RAI UNDERGROUND.
1970s ALGERIAN PROTO-RAI UNDERGROUND. As the seventies dawned, Algerian music was changing. For the next ten years, Algerian music, was constantly evolving. This included Rai music. It was a controversial style of music, that originally came to prominence at the start of the twentieth century. Rai music Rai music was first heard in Oran, an …
ORLANDO JULIUS WITH THE HELIOCENTRICS-JAIYEDE AFRO.
ORLANDO JULIUS WITH THE HELIOCENTRICS-JAIYEDE AFRO. Nowadays, collaborations are commonplace in modern music. So much so, that many music lovers have become complacent. However, the new collaboration between Orlando Julius and The Heliocentrics, Jaiyede Afro, is guaranteed to refresh even the most jaded musical palettes. That’s no surprise. This is a collaboration between one of …
WILLIAM ONYEABOR-WHAT?!
WILLIAM ONYEABOR-WHAT?! It was only when David Byrne’s Luaka Bop released World Psychedelic Classics 5: Who is William Onyeabor in October 2013, that the wider world first heard the music of one the most mysterious and elusive musicians. The title Who is William Onyeabor was one that nobody could answer with any certainly, There’s a …
LES AMBASSADEURS-LES AMBASSADEURS DU MOTEL DE BAMAKO.
LES AMBASSADEURS-LES AMBASSADEURS DU MOTEL DE BAMAKO. As the seventies unfolded, the Rail Band de Bamako were kings of Malian music. They had dragged Malian music kicking and screaming into the twentieth century. The Rail Band de Bamako had given traditional Malian music a makeover. However, another group was about to steal their crown, Les …
NANA LOVE-DISCO DOCUMENTARY FULL OF FUNK.
NANA LOVE-DISCO DOCUMENTARY FULL OF FUNK. Disco. Never has a musical genre caused so much controversy. It divided opinion back in the seventies. Even today, disco continues to divide opinion. That’s why disco has been described as Marmite music. People seem to either love or loathe disco. There seems to be no in between. Controversy even …
KASAI ALLSTARS-BEWARE THE FETISH.
KASAI ALLSTARS-BEWARE THE FETISH. Nearly six years ago, in December 2008, the Kasai Allstars released their critically acclaimed debut album In The 7th Moon, The Chief Turned Into A Swimming Fish and Ate The Head Of His Enemy By Magic. On its release, critics were won over by the Kasai Allstars’ music. They hadn’t heard …
JARIBU AFROBEAT ARKESTRA-JARIBU.
JARIBU AFROBEAT ARKESTRA-JARIBU. Over the last few years, the JariBu Afrobeat Arkestra have established a reputation as one of the most exciting live bands in Japan. That’s been the case since the JariBu Afrobeat Arkestra released their debut album Afro Sound System in 2009. Released to critical acclaim, Afro Sound System won over DJs and …
THE BLACK HIPPIES-THE BLACK HIPPIES.
THE BLACK HIPPIES-THE BLACK HIPPIES. One of Nigerian music’s best kept secrets, are The Black Hippies. They only ever released two albums. Their finest moment was their 1977 debut album The Black Hippies. It was released in 1977, on EMI. Sadly, by then, disco and funk were flavour of the month. The Black Hippies were …
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