• Music

    Franco & O.K. Jazz – Franco Luambo Makiadi Presents Les Editions Populaires (1968-1970)

    February 19, 2024 - By 

    Franco was the pride of what was then (and would be again) the Democratic Republic of Congo, for a brief spell known as Zaire.  He went from singing rumba and bolero tunes to developing a funk-influenced sound that lit up most of the African continent.  From the Bandcamp site: “This compilation brings together an original selection of 16 tracks from the first three years of Les Editions Populaires. They are a showcase of the sound Franco had envisioned for his band. The focus was less on cha-cha-cha and Spanish lyrics, but on lingering rumba and bolero ballads in Lingala, tradition-rooted…

  • Music

    Various Artists – The Soul of Congo: Treasures of the Ngoma label (1948​-​1963)

    November 4, 2023 - By 

    Before Afrobeat became such a massive influence across Africa, Congolese music seemed to be the pride of the continent.  A joyous mix of merengue, rhumba and local music would influence a great deal of West African popular music until James Brown and others came over to topple over the previous pop idols.  Respect to Planet Ilunga out of Belgium for producing this gorgeous artifact.

  • Music

    Air Volta – Volta Jazz

    June 8, 2022 - By 

    The 1200 Line is an expert reissue label bringing some amazing African music to the masses with meticulously recreated cover art and remastering.  This release is from Upper Volta, and it features cumbia rhythms, rhumba, Cuban son and yé-yé blended into a joyful mix. From the Bandcamp site: From the landlocked tropical savanna of Upper Volta, an ever-evolving cast of musicians brought the world’s rhythms to the streets of their native Bobo-Dioulasso. Combining Congolese rhumba, American R&B, French yé-yé, Cuban son, and regional Senufo and Mandingo traditions, Orchestre Volta Jazz was at the epicenter of the West African musical explosion…

  • Music

    Star Band de Dakar – Psicodelia Afro-Cubana de Senegal

    June 13, 2021 - By 

    Cuba has a long, storied history of sharing a strong bond with many countries in Africa.  From the horrifying slave trade to the Cuban Communist “revolution,” culture and music have flowed back and forth between the island nation and most of the richly cultured continent.  This release from the now-legendary Ostinato Records documents one of my favorite bands, the Senegalese powerhouse Star Band de Dakar.  The music is a wonderful mix of their mbalax, one of the many native styles of Senegal, with rhumba and other styles to make an Afro-Cuban cocktail.  This is a joyful release – fun, danceable…