Oct 23, 2015

From Mali: Terakaft - Alone


Terakaft strike back


Terakaft the pioneers of desert rock are back. With their most rock oriented offering to date and – at the same time – their most personal: Ténéré – ‚Alone‘. An album that was born out of a need to maintain sanity in times of broken dreams and lies. „I call on every brother who loves his nation“, sings Diara, „to stop saying bad words, that destroy our people“.

‚Alone‘ was born out of a need to maintain sanity in times of broken dreams and lies. It might be their most rock oriented album to date but at the same time it is their most poetic. Five years ago with their album “Aratan N Azawad” and even the follow up “Kel Tamasheq”, Terakaft was still full of hope, things had started to change. Today the soil that was supposed to blossom is burnt by selfishness and rivalry.

„There are too many characters in the picture, too many chiefs and not enough people“, says Diara when asked about the political developments in the last years. He used to sing political songs back in the days in his rebel youth when he was still playing guitar with Tinariwen. Nowadays he is only watching with a new feeling growing inside him: “Ténéré”, which is the title he gave to this album, and which translates to: “Alone”. Back in the days when they were sitting in the dunes drinking tea with big hopes for the future, singing their songs into the night, his nephew Sanou was sitting next to him, still a young boy. Occasionally the uncle would hand his guitar to the nephew, so he could play along with the others. Just before the international success story of Tinariwen started, Diara got stuck on his way to Bamako a missed flight and his place in Tinariwen was taken. Meanwhile Sanou had set up his own band Terakaft. Today Diara and Sanou are the backbone of Terakaft: the guardians of desert blues. Diara is the spirit of the band, as strong as a rock. Sanou – his nephew – is the heart of Terakaft. He brings the life to its spirit. Diara the elder, lays out heavy rhythms pulsing through his guitar. Sanou has become the natural heir to the sound of “assouf”, with his intense rock riffs and an up-lifting attitude towards life.

‚Alone‘ is the 5th album of Terakaft. It was produced by Justin Adams who is one of the musicians from Europe who has delved deep into Tuareg music in the last years. Adams is known as a musician and producer through his work with Robert Plant, Tinariwen and Juldeh Camara. He has geared up “The Caravan” to reach new shores and hit the dancefloors. In these troubled times, they have made an album together, that presents the deep Saharan rhythms as a vital contemporary heartbeat. Standing on the ruins of their peoples dreams they sing to their brothers and sisters about true friendship and tolerance.

« It’s a bloody marvellous album, I can’t stop playing Oulhin Asnin, particularly and I keep expecting some astral Neil Young electric guitar to come swooping into it. » Andy Kershaw, BBC Radio

« Terakaft’s sound is the starkest and most compelling excursion yet into the sonic world of the Sahara. » Mark Hudson, The Daily Telegraph

« Une Kalachnikov, ce sont trente balles dans le chargeur, une fois que tu l’as vidé, c’est fini. Une guitare, elle, n’a pas de limite. » interview Diara, World Sound


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"Different people, same story," Malian group Terakaft say of their music when compared to fellow Tuereg rockers Tinariwen. Much like the early days of Tinariwen, Terakaft's lineup has operated as a collective and the current incarnation of the group exists around members who between them have either been involved in playing the music for many years, or have grown up listening to it. "Assouf" desert rock is second nature to them as guitar lines unfold with a purity that runs like water.

Alone marks the group's first release since Kel Tamasheq in 2012, and the time away seems to have invigorated the group, whose fired up return is marked by guitars ringing with menacing fuzz and upbeat percussion aimed at dancefloors. Recorded by Justin Adams at Real World Studios, the group's fifth album has a direct groove that cuts through the whole album. While there may be a temptation to believe you have heard this before, there is always something extra to be found as escalating Saharan riffs unfold in the atmospheric arrangements, staying true to their 70s rock aesthetic and boosted by the poetic messages of the lyrics.

The group have recently been joined by founding Tinariwen member Liya ag Ablil (also known as Diara) who, from the late 1970s, helped create the familiar assouf sound within the collective. Their tapes were copied and shared among Tuereg people, helping the music spread throughout the northern Sahara. After missing the plane when the group made their international breakthrough around 2000, Diara left the group, and the guitarist and vocalist now joins his nephew Sanou ag Ahmed on guitar and vocals, with bassist Andrew Sudhibhasilp and drummer Nicolas Grupp. Sanou formed the group in 2000 with another former Tinariwen musician, Kedou, and previous members include bassist Rhissa ag Ogham, who died in 2010 in a car accident in the Sahara, Abdallah ag Ahmed, who left after a car accident in 2012 in Algeria and former bassist Pino, who has recently switched to acting – and has a lead role in the recent Timbuktu movie.

From the pounding drums of opening track 'Anabayou (Awkward)' the group address the struggle for those without drinking water and food due to droughts in the wake of events in Mali since the military coup in 2012. The album deals with themes of calling for unity - 'Itilla Ihene Dagh Aïtma (To My Brothers)' and to "stop telling stories and lies," as on 'Harambani (Nastiness).' On the latter, the message of togetherness is reinforced by group-chanted vocals, as twangy guitars split into dizzying north African riffs.

The sun scorched guitars on 'Amidinin Senta Aneflas (My Confidant)' maintain the stomping momentum with uplifting choppy rhythms as the lyrics tell of the closeness between those who have seen it all together. 'Wahouche Natareh (Lions)' suggests a turning tide is coming, as, "We warn the world that this year, We come with the truth all together." Diara's solo rendition of 'Anabayou' closes the album on a reflective note. The guitarist now heard alone, as if back where he started, as the album comes full circle.

Terakaft translates from the Tamasheq as "the Caravan", in reference to the nomadic lives of the Tuereg people. Alone perhaps signals that the dream is still as far away as ever. Terakaft find some kind of inner peace through their music, while offering a connection and hope to those experiencing something similar, wherever they may be. Different, but the same.

thequietus.com




Oct 20, 2015

Eji Oyewole - Charity Begins At Home



We are proud to present another long-lost classic from the golden age of African music, from a figure who is still beginning to get his props internationally, Eji Oyewole.

Born to a royal lineage in Ibadan, Prince Eji Oyewole has had a career as a flautist, saxophonist and sometime bandleader spanning well over half a century. He trained both in Nigeria and then at Trinity the prestigious music school in London, and his life as an itinerant musician also saw him living for extensive periods in Geneva, Hamburg and in Lyon.

While for many years Fela Kuti (with whom Eji played) and King Sunny Adé commanded international attention to the exclusion of most other Nigerian musicians, as if there was only room for one Nigerian superstar at a time on the world stage, on the domestic scene things were very different. Eji was part of the huge craze for ‘highlife’, a generic term that in fact subsumed many different styles, united in their fusion of traditional west African forms with jazz influences and electric instruments, and in the bands’ working practices as entertainers at the nation’s numerous hotel/nightclubs.

As this cracking album, recorded for EMI Nigeria at the tail end of the ‘70s and now remastered, reveals, Eji’s version of highlife was even more distinctive than most, eschewing the usual emphasis on guitars for a brasher, horn-laden sound, seemingly influenced as much by American funk as it was jazz, and of course with the heavy percussive undertow central to most African music.

This gave Eji a chance to shine, and there are some scorching solos as well as tight ensemble playing across the four lengthy (to ears accustomed to the three-minute pop song) songs. Eji also played piano on the session. The material has an element of social commentary (Oil Boom and Unity In Africa) and should help feed the seemingly insatiable appetites of the many who have been turned onto African music by the enterprising efforts of devoted collectors, labels and fellow fans.
Surely one of the few musicians who has played with Fela, Miles Davis and Bob Marley, Eji Oyewole still plays regularly in Lagos, recently had an album of new material out with his current band The Afrobars, and has been a member of Faaji Agba, a super-group that has toured internationally and been dubbed ‘the Nigerian Buena-Vista Social Club’.

bbemusic.com

Oct 12, 2015

Senegal 70 (by Analog Africa)


The brand new release by the Analog Africa Label... Senegal 70

4 years in the making,in partnership with Teranga beat the current leading label for Senegalese music, Analog Africa proudly offer an insight into the musical adventures that were taking place in the major Senegalese cities during the 60s and 70s. This compilation, reflects the unique fusions of Funk, Mbalax, Cuban Son and Mandigue guitar sounds that transformed Dakar into West Africa´s most vibrant city.

It all started in 2009 when Adamantios Kafetzis travelled from Greece to Senegal with a brand new tape machine that he used to digitise the musical treasures he had discovered in the city of Thiés. These treasures took the form of reel tapes, and had been recorded by sound engineer Moussa Diallo, who had spent the previous four decades immortalising, onto magnetic tape, the bands that would perform in his club, the legendary Sangomar.

The brand new release by the Analog Africa Label... Senegal 70
4 years in the making,in partnership with Teranga beat the current leading label for Senegalese music, Analog Africa proudly offer an insight into the musical adventures that were taking place in the major Senegalese cities during the 60s and 70s. This compilation, reflects the unique fusions of Funk, Mbalax, Cuban Son and Mandigue guitar sounds that transformed Dakar into West Africa´s most vibrant city.

It all started in 2009 when Adamantios Kafetzis travelled from Greece to Senegal with a brand new tape machine that he used to digitise the musical treasures he had discovered in the city of Thiés. These treasures took the form of reel tapes, and had been recorded by sound engineer Moussa Diallo, who had spent the previous four decades immortalising, onto magnetic tape, the bands that would perform in his club, the legendary Sangomar.

300 Senegalese songs that nobody had ever heard before were discovered -
five of them were selected for this compilation.

Thanks to its history of outside influences, Senegal - the western point of Africa - had become a musical melting pot.

Cuban and American sailors had brought Son Montuno from Cuba, Jazz from New Orleans and American soul tunes: sounds that were swiftly embraced and adopted by urban dance bands and intuitively merged with local music styles.

One band in particular excelled at this fusion. 1960 marks the formation of Star Band de Dakar, a milestone that left an indelible imprint on Dakar's musical landscape. Indeed, the whole country was soon grooving to their intoxicating mixture of Afro Cuban rhythms and Wolof-language lyrics.

The 1970s brought a new generation of stellar bands; Le Sahel, Orchestre Laye Thiam, Number One de Dakar, Orchestra Baobab, Dieuf Dieul de Thies and Xalam1 who fused traditional Senegalese percussion instruments such Sabra, Tama and Bougarabou with organs and keyboards, giving birth to new hybrids. Merging the folkloric and the experimental, these sounds, embraced by the youth, took centre stage and gave the previously dominant Cuban music a run for its money.

The comprehensive booklet that comes with the CD - 44 pages and with the Double LP - 12 pages LP size - is a precious document attesting to the decades of transformation that led to modern Senegalese music. Featuring biographies of music producers and a legendary record cover designer, as well as the life stories of all the groups represented here, the booklet also includes a fantastic selection of photos that have never seen before.

propermusic.com

Oct 9, 2015

Rim And Kasa / Rim And The Belivers - Too Tough / I'm Not Going To Let You Go


Following hot on the heels of our well-received reissue of his first album, Rim Arrives, we now present the two other key records that have made this a cult figure for lovers of both African music and ‘disco’ in its widest sense. Too Tough, a superb three track EP from 1982, on Sum-Sum Records, was credited to Rim and Kasa, whilst he issued the cracking 12” I’m Not Going To Let You Go as Rim And The Believers for Harmony Records the following year.

Too Tough kicks off with Shine The Ladies, an epic Afro-disco jam in call and response format, with the female lead vocals (Ms. Anita Berry) prompting a series of replies from the backing vocalists, setting the scene for a series of exciting solos set against a backdrop of punchy horns and swirling synths; tenor sax, guitar, drums (introduced with chants of ‘Play me some drums!’) and vibes all take a turn before the track fades out, clocking in just short of nine minutes. Next up is Love Me For Real, reminiscent of August Darnell with its girlie vocals and Latin flavour, ending with a mad swirl of synths and Rim’s own vocals. And lastly, I’m A Songwriter is cosmic Afro-reggae, bringing to mind Roy Ayers in his Fela phase, given a mad punk-funk twist … this one has to be heard to be believed!
The mood changes with I’m Not Going To Let You Go, which eschews the female chorus for an altogether mellower, instrumental ride, veering from out-there cosmic synth vibes to loungey jazz piano. It’s original flip, Peace of Mind, raw Afro-boogie track with a male vocal, is also included.
Those of you who had been searching in vain for Rim’s oeuvre for some years now having had it handed to you on a platter (well, two platters, actually), will be pleased to know that there is yet more material from the man Rim Kwaku Obeng to come from us at BBE …watch out for the digital-only release of four previously unreleased cuts from this legend of Afro-disco, taken from a long-lost acetate!

bbemusic.com 


Tracklist
1. Rim and Kasa - Shine The Ladies
2. Rim and Kasa – Love Me For Real
3. Rim and Kasa – I'm A Songwriter
4. Rim and The Believers – I'm Not Going To Let You Go
5. Rim and The Believers – Peace of Mind

Oct 8, 2015

Ezy & Isaac - Soul Rock


This Incredible afro-soul album was recorded in Italy in 1974 by the two Nigerians Ezy Hart and Isaac Olashugba. Ezy is known for his vocals while Isaac for playing saxophone. They are ex-members of Fela Kuti’s band, The Koola Lobitos and The Don Ezekiel Combination. After doing amazing collaborations together, recording a few Christian-Funk albums, and touring West Africa, these two finally settled in Italy. The Funky Fella, a group of 12 top Italian musicians such as Maestro Leoni from Rifi records, produced three albums with Ezy and Isaac. The first one is called Soul Rock and is considered as a Soul masterpiece. It contains the bomb track called “Bawagbe” ; This track is very tuff, hypnotic afro-soul groove with ruff Yoruba chants, smacking congas, afro horns, funky breaks and a wicked percussion breakdown of rattling cowbells. It`s a very unique collectors’ item for the afro-funk lovers and more. Hot Casa Records also included a bonus track called “I’m Ready For you”, coming from the rare funky 7inch released in 1976.

hhv





Oct 6, 2015

Dieuf-Dieul De Thies - Aw Sa Yone Volume 2


This multi-talented band demonstrates on this album its ability to cross over different kinds of music, from Mbalax to Afro-Cuban and Afro-Jazz ballads without loosing any tip from its original Psychedelic Sound with the fuzz guitars, strong horn sections and percussion, which gave to the band this unique identity.

Five out of seven overall tracks feature Bassirou Sarr, a truly exceptional singer. Whether in a ballad or some explosive Mbalax, Bassirou's voice is always full of emotion. One of the two remaining tunes, a great latin cover sung by Assane Camara, shows how good performers Dieuf-Dieul actually were and finally one powerful Mbalax track sung by the great Griot Gora Mbaye, displaying his strong links to the tradition of Senegal.

On this Vol.2 we proudly present the rest of their recorded tracks from the same session as the one featured on Vol.1 plus three tracks from a totally lost recording they did back in 1981. The double LP comes with an MP3 download code.

Delighted to announce that Dieuf-Dieul are back together after 32 years, preparing for their first international tour not only to prove that their fame was not an urban legend. Enjoy!

piccadillyrecords.com

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Teranga Beat proudly presents the second volume of previously unreleased early-'80s recordings by Senegalese band Dieuf-Dieul de Thiès, demonstrating their ability to move from Mbalax to Afro-Cuban and Afro-jazz ballads without losing any of their original psychedelic sound and unique identity. Five out of these seven tracks feature Bassirou Sarr, a truly exceptional singer. Whether he's singing a ballad or some explosive Mbalax, his voice is always full of emotion. One of the two other tunes, a great Latin cover sung by Assane Camara, shows the true skill of Dieuf-Dieul; the other, a powerful Mbalax track sung by the great griot Gora Mbaye, displays his strong links to the tradition of Senegal. These three singers, together with bandleader and guitarist Pape Seck, combined traditional rhythms from all the regions of Senegal with fuzz guitars, horn sections, and hallucinatory percussion to create an explosive mixture of electric psychedelia and the wisdom of local musical traditions. Aw Sa Yone Vol. 2 includes the rest of the recordings from the early-'80s session featured on Vol. 1 (TBCD 017CD, 2013), plus three tracks from a lost 1981 recording. CD includes 16-page booklet containing photos and liner notes outlining the amazing story of this lost treasure. Mastered and mixed from the original tapes. At the time of this release, Dieuf-Dieul are back together for the first time since 1983, preparing for their first international tour to prove that their fame is not merely an urban legend.  

forcedexposure.com 


TRACK LISTING

1. Ariyo
2. Am Sa Waye
3. Rumba Para Parejas
4. Jirim
5. Nianky
6. Sidy Ndiaye
7. Raki