Fave new African Music of 2003

Mamani Keita can be heard in much better form on Espace, second album by the group Tama.

know a few of the groups listed up there but not these particular efforts, but am a bit down on Congolese at the moment. The same formula is being repeated and its a little played out.

I haven't been as won over as others by Mouffou, Salif Keita's latest but it is a v. strong album. The comeback album by Bembeya Jazz is a god introduction to them but no substitute for seeingthem live, they're touring the US this summer so check 'em out if you get a chance.

Umm, still waking up so will try and think of more and post later

h2O - "it's wonderful"
skwatta camp - "hai hai" (i think it's spelled the same as the punjabi hit squad song, which is kind of great in itself)
godessa - "social ills (much better live than on record)
nas "feat." ramesh - "this is a letter"
dj mabuso - "soulcandi session 1"

Most modern Congolese music feels so formulaic and cynical that I tend to zone it out. Recently I’ve been listening to Kekele, a group made up of a lot of the oldtime rumba guys, its pretty good. (Also a demo by Maryse Ngalulu a young singer in Kinshasa with a fantastic voice. She’s working with a full band and an updated version of the old rumba bands. Someone needs to sign her.)

RS has been talking positively on other threads about the new album by Algerian singer Abdelli. Deb, the new album by Souad Massi, also from Algeria, is supposed to be v. good. I’m familiar with her older stuff which was pretty straightforward singer-songwriter stuff, Tracy Chapman/Joan Baez type but the new album is supposed to be much more adventurous and fun. She has a gorgeous voice so might be worth your checking it out.

Matos - you must go see Bembeya when they hit Summerstage, they are wonderful live. When i had them play here a cpl months back they played for four hours and after the concert someone told me they felt 'spiritually cleansed'

Mitch - plz post more recomendations

zaiko langa langa i always found boring, but maybe i heard the wrong stuff

( i haven't heard any new congolese pop for an age, so everyone may have gone all like electroclash-triphop and wrecked a top thing)

real answer: it retains its place in the things i promised i'd do on ilm queue (= currently at #1390467890987)

Do any of you have access to Senegalese rap, South African kwaito(danceclub music I think), Ghanian whatever...
I saw mbalax singer Thione Seck from Senegal in DC a short while back and the virtually all Senegalese crowd(some in their teens and 20s but most 30s and up)seemed to love him, but I wasn't wowed(I think Xgau liked him in the Voice)--decent enough voice but he doesn't have the songwriting or musical highs (or lows--his failed crossover attempts) of Youssou N'Dour(who is going to be back in DC in September). The Congolese stuff is formulaic but I see that Brit writer Martin Sinnock who contributes to California magazine the Beat and to a website that I can't remember right now says some of the Congolese performers offer more than formula. He loves King Kester Emeneya and his group Victoria who I have yet to hear, and Koffi Olamide(who's touring the US now) whose voice didn't wow me when I saw him a few years back but whose big big band with lots of male and female dancers, plenty of keyboards, guitars, bass, and drums, and several vocalists were kind of impressive.

www.getthebeat.com/about.html

two sources on West African music....

Senegal’s Positive Black Soul fusion of hiphop & local music is popular. Works well live as well with a DJ providing the bulk of the music while someone else switches between guitar, kora and djembe to alternatively provide ornamentation or take the lead.

Bisso Na Bisso, Congolese hiphop based out of Paris were good but haven’t heard anything new by them in a couple of years and have no idea if they’re still together.

In Cote D’Ivoire you’ve got Tiken Jah Fakoly which is pretty straightahead reggae. Same goes for Ghana’s Rocky Dawuni.

re S. Africa outside of the big kwaito names like Bongo Maffin or TKZee i'm not gonna be that much help.

Check these sites for some more info

www.rage.co.za
www.afribeat.com
www.africanhiphop.com

I don't know if the problem is being derivative per se. One huge obstacle most of these ppl face is the difficulty n having a hit if you don't sing in English. bad management and lack of infrastructure to support artist development is a problem facing most everyone, and that does not help matters.

There are some who are better poised than others to branch out e.g, Ptho BS albums have yet to win me over their live shows are great, ultra-tight, moves smoothly between rapping and harmonizing, roots and electronics. they've collaborated with enough ppl and have the history that they could do something.

Bisso na Bisso had some incredible songs and could easiliy see them having a hit but, as i said, they seem to have vanished.

however, a lot of these ppl have demonstrated that they can gain continent-wide popularity, crossing language barriers here and stylistic differences. (you esp. see this now with s. african stuff, with artists ranging from Brenda Fassie to Bongo Maffin, getting played everywhere)

have to run, will post a bit more later