23 July 2014, World Cafe

By the way, Afropop Worldwide are now putting out podcasts.  Check them out here:

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1 Quantic and Pongo Love – Duvido (Tru Thoughts)

Album: Magnetica

Quantic always seems to take the music of his adopted home country, Colombia, into all sorts of interesting directions.  Here he’s combined forces with Angolan singer Pongolove and made an assault on chande, a drum based coastal Afro-Caribbean style.  “Magnetica” which is turning into one of my albums of the year so far.

2 David Ze – Rumba Zatukine

Album: Angola 70’s 1972-73

David Ze aka David Gabriel Jose Ferreira was an avid member of the MPLA and the musical director of a group called Alliance Fapla-PEOPLE who ending writing a bunch of independence celebration music for Mozambique, Sao Tome and Principe and Guinea Bissau.  He died pretty young at the age of 32 in 1977 in the “fraccionista” when a MPLA turned on itself and a lot of people got killed.  “Rumba Zatukine” is from around 1973.

3 Jorge Ben – Ponta de Lanca Africano (Umbabarauma) (Phillips)

Album: Africa Brazil

David Ze for some reason reminds me of Brazillian music from 70s – maybe it’s that mass-based sing-along chorus.  Ponta de lanca, africano (Umbabarauma) is the opening track from one of my favorite Brazilian albums from the same period.

4 Ile Aiye – Civilizacao Docongo (Interra)

Album: Black Chant

And while on the subject of Afro-Brazillian, Ile Aiye are a bunch from Salvador, Bahia who started a kind of black consciousness carnival association or bloco in the mid 70s.  There are quite a few of these blocos in Salvador now.  Their music is a blend of traditional samba duro and candomble music.  Candomble is a kind of syncretic Afro-Brazilian religion.

5 Orquestra Imperial – Cair na Folia (iZem Remix) (Mais Um Discos)

Single

Album:  Fazendo as pazes com o swing

French producer iZem’s tremendous remix of 16 piece Orquestra Imperial who specialize in exploring gafieira samba sometimes called “old-school samba”.  In their ranks is Morena Veloso, Cataeno Veloso’s son. 

6 Mayra Andrade – Dispidida (RCA Victor/Sony Music)

Album: Studio 105

Mayra Andrade is not Brazillian, but her music is definitely has some roots there.  She’s considered Capo Verdean, if there’s such a word, but she was born in Cuba traveled around the world in her youth with her diplomat father (like a number of musicians we’ve heard here) and now lives in Paris.  “Studio 105” is from 2010.

7 Bixiga 70 – Deixa a Gira Gira (Mais Um Discos

Album: Ocupai

Bixiga 70 have named themselves after their home neighbourhood in Sao Paulo (Bixiga) and Fela Kuti’s band from the 70s (Africa 70) and so you’ll expect some brassy Afrobeat and you wouldn’t be wrong.  “Ocupai” is their brand new release on Mais Um Discos – a great label by the way, and a story for another show.

8 Ibibio Sound Machine – Prodigal Son (Ayen Ake Feheke) (Soundway)

Album: Ibibio Sound Machine

Ibibio Sound Machine are British-based and led by Eno Williams, whose mother is an Ibibio from the Southeastern Nigeria. Love the stripped down afro-beat electro-funk feel to this record, and those Grace Jones vocals. 

9 Femi Kuti – Politics na big business

Album: No place for my dream

Last month there was something off Seun Kuti’s latest.  Here’s something from Fula Kuti’s other band leading son, Femi Kuti, off his latest. 

10 William Onyeabor – Atomic Bomb (Luaka Bop)

Album: World Psychedelic Classic 5: Who is William Onyeabor

11 Hot Chip vs William Onyeabor  – Atomic Bomb (Luaka Bop)

Album: What?!

The very cultish Nigerian musician, William Onyeabor, with his biggest hit “Atomic Bomb” released in 1978 – well half of it, anyway, and then picked up by British electronic band, Hot Chip. 

William Onyeabor self-released 8 albums between 1977 and  1985 on his own label, recorded in own studio in Enugu, the capital of former Biafra, and then basically vanished to be rediscovered by collectors and various hipsters who were mad for his sound – produced largely by banks of analog synths.  Re-issueing a collection of his stuff with the requisite permissions took the label Luaka Bop five years, and they didn’t manage to get much info despite visiting the guy.  Legends abound though – a Russian trained film maker, preacher and gospel star, and semolina factory owner

12 Habib Koite – Drapeau (Contre-Jour)

Album: Soo

The often pleasantly folky and magnanimous Malian musician, Habib Koite.  “Soo” is his latest.

13 David Doucet – J’ai Marie Un Ouvrier (Traditional) (Rounder)

Album: 1957 Solo Cajun Guitar

Louisiana guitarist David Doucet, the brother of more famous Michael Doucet whom he plays with in the pretty well established Cajun band, Beausoleil.  A traditional tune from a really great record which came out on Rounder in 1999.

14 Bois Sec Ardoin & Canray Fontenot – Jug Au Plombeau (Rounder)

Album: Louisiana Cajun French Music Vol 2: Southwest Prairies, 1964-1967

One of the all time great duos of cajun and zydeco music.  This is something in the mid 60’s.

15 Wayne Toups, Steve Riley, Wilson Savoy – La Vie Malheureuse (Lawrence Walker) (Valcour Records)

Album: The Band Courtbouillon

A fabulous group of three great band leading cajun accordionists, Wayne Toups, Steve Riley and Wilson Savoy, with a Lawrence Walker song.  Walker was considered King of the Accordion Players at one point.  He died in 1968.

16 John Stickle – King Orfeo (Rounder)

Album: Classic Ballads of Britain and Ireland, volume 1

King Orfeo is a Middle English poem based on mix of Greek and Celtic myth that entered England via Breton and became a song, with pretty stripped down version being collected by Francis Child as Child Ballad 19.  The great Shetland fiddler, John Stickle, recorded his version recorded in the late 40’s. 

17 Emily Smith – King Orfeo (White Fall)

Album: Echoes

Scottish singer-songwriter Emily Smith’s current version with dobro uber whiz kid Jerry Douglas.

18 9bach – Lliwiau (Real World)

Album: Tincian

9bach are originally from Gerlan in north Wales and they draw inspiration from the traditions of that area.  At the centre of 9Bach is Lisa Jen, who sings and writes the lyrics.  “Tincian” which means to resonate and ring. 

19 The Rails – Borstal (Island)

Album: Fair Warning

Kami Thompson, the daughter of Richard and Linda Thompson, and her husband, guitarist James Walbourne, have just put out an album of traditional and self-penned stuff as The Rails.  They’re a lot like Richard and Linda Thompson, which is a good thing, and Island Records, who originally brought the Richard & Linda, on their pink label have revived it especially for this release.  “Borstal” is self-penned.  Eliza Carthy is on fiddle

20 Linda Thompson – As fast as my feet (Topic)

Album: Won’t be long now

A 2013 version of an Anne McGarrigle song.

21 Janet Kay – Silly Games (Arawak)

Album: Massive Reggae

Thought it’s about time we have specific focus on British Reggae.  An obvious place to start is “Lovers Rock” – a softened, soul-based, smoothed out reggae often with strong female vocals and dealing with romance that started in mid 70s.  Janet Kay’s 1979 smash hit “Silly Games” is probably from the height of Lovers Rocker.  Dennis Bovell produced and wrote the song.

22 Elizabeth Archer & The Equators – Feel like makin’ love (Lightning Records)

Album: Trojan Presents Lovers Rock – 40 Romantic Reggae Classics

Something gutsier and rootsier from the 1977.  A kind of blueprint for the Slits punky reggae. 

23 The Slits – I heard it through the grapevine (Island)

Album: Cut (Deluxe Edition)

A unique version of a soul classic “I heard it through the grapevine” from 1980 produced by none other than Dennis Bovell.  Singer Ari Up taking a feather from the Elizabeth Archer’s cap

24 Hollie Cook – Ari Up (Mr Bongo)

Album: Twice

Hollie Cook’s tribute to Ari Up, whose full name was Ariane Forster.  Hollie Cook, Sex Pistols Paul Cook’s daughter, actually played with The Slits just before Ari died, and that tune is from her great new album “Twice”, which is produced by Prince Fatty, a fabulous British producer in the tradition of King Tubby.

25 Adrian Sherwood – J’Ai Dubee (Real World Records)

Album: Becoming a Cliché/Dub Cliché        

Another great British producer is Adrian Sherwood, who worked with Ari Up as part of the New Age Steppers.  Here something from the dub version of a solo record he put out in 2006.   

26 Ros Sereysothea – Shave your beard (Minky Records)

Album: Dengue Fever Presents: Electric Cambodia 14 Rare gems from Cambodia’s Past

The legendary Cambodian singer, Ros Sereysothea, did not endear herself to the Khemer Rouge with her potent mix of Cambodian folk and rock’n’roll.  She died at their hands, like a bunch of other Cambodian musicians. 

27 Angkanang Kunchai – Teoy Salap Pamaa (Soundway)

Album: The Sound of Siam 2: Molam & Luk Thung Isan from North-East Thailand

Heading north to Thailand for another legendary singer from the same period working a similar seam.  Her music is based on molam music from the area and built on khaen (bamboo mouth organ) and phin (lute) riffs.

28 Ding Chengyun – A Conversation between God and Man (Guang Ling San)

Album: A Conversation between God and Man

Ding Chengyun is one of the greatest current players of the qin or gugin, the ancient Chinese zither.  This version of the tune dates from 1549, while the original tune apparently goes back to 2800 BC.