african musik: suggestions?

http://ilx.p3r.net/searchresults.php?board=2&mode=threads&q=&titlepart=african&name=&email=&username=&dateafter=&datebefore=&catid=all

There are whole universes to go to from there.

Golden Afrique Vol. 1 & 2 (newish 2CD comps, fucking amazing; I have been playing Vol. 2 all weekend)

various volumes of the Rough Guide series are excellent, cheap, easy to find; if one looks good it probably is. my favorites are on Kenya and (separate volume) Kenya & Tanzania

acres more of course but those will get you started, and no they're not especially "tribal" (cough), they're just great

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000E1Z28A

the new Stella Chiweshe 2 cd compilation and there it is, the very last track, Vano Vako Vopera. this is mostly percussive (from what i remember) but not especially drum based.

the other things i remember from peel were the Four Brothers (bought Makorokoto at the weekend) and the Bhundu Boys, both of whom were picked up by Cooking Vinyl for english releases back in the day. Diblo Dibala was the other name that used to catch my attention. those guitars.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000025MP5/qid=1140545302/sr=8-1/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i1_xgl/202-4194770-2438210

http://mattgy.net/music/

I'm beginning to think Vol. 2 is the best African comp I've ever heard, no joke.

Manu Dibango

John Storm Roberts ran an ethnomusic label called Original Music - if you can find the Money Be No Sand compilation, or Francis Bebey's Akwaaba, or Kampala Sound: 1960s Ugandan Dance Music, or The Sound of Kinshasa, or ... just buy anything you see on that label. Very hard to locate.

The Orchestra Baobab records are always a fine choice, and easily available.

There was a nice compilation of two South African outfits - the Dark City Sisters and the Flying Jazz Queens - called South African Marabi Jive which is great.

Rough Guide did a nice Franco compilation.

I'm sure somebody's suggested Konono No 1 already.

I also enjoyed Salif Keita's M'Bemba a lot (his most recent record). And that was thanks to hearing that Luciano remix.

The Ethiopiques vols I like most are 1, 3, 4, and 8. I like not love Konono No. 1. The Franco Rough Guide is terrific but even better is the one on Manteca, also from 2001: The Rumba Giant of the Congo is I think the title. Green and red cover, retails cheap (mine was $12), do not pass it up. Franco & Rochereau's Omona Wapi is also terrific.

Seconding Brakhage, I really hope someone revives Original Music, lots of great shit on that label. Also seconding Brakhage, Dark City Sisters & Flying Jazz Queens is awesome. I have a friend who put "Sekusile" on every mixtape he made for a year.

Also, Kenya Dance Mania on Earthworks retails for like $10. Guitar Paradise of East Africa is also terrific; track 3 (Daniel Kamau's "Mumbi Ni Wakwa") is one of my favorite tracks ever.

And--duh--The Music in My Head Vols 1 & 2 are the BOMB.

Nyboma's "Doublé-Doublé" (from disc one)

and

Le Likembé Geant, "Bika Nzanga" (from disc two)

enjoy!

Tapera (We Are Perishing)

Ndindereri

http://s25.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=2IHTPQJNOBFMA3L19276GQ0O3I

0ne malian group who could really rock, in their way, were super biton de segou. I adore their record "belle epoque" which shouldn't be too hard to hunt down. great delayed guitar stuff with fast shifting rhythms and loud choruses. they have a certain energy i haven't encountered elsewhere. they won the youth orchestra competition so many times that the government just started paying them.

if you liked salif keita then you should look into the earlier rail band recordings--I'm with Brakhage, the older the better. the rail band feature some stunning guitar work.

i do an mp3 blog which focuses on one genre a month and offers two mix cd's in said genre over the course of the month. african music is next month so maybe people would like to check it out. i can't promise anything as uniformly good as "golden afrique" but it should be a pretty varied and excellent program, plus i don't have to follow any rules except my own taste. http://www.mixotheque.com

http://www.sternsmusic.com/disk_info.php?id=STCD1101

Anybody heard? I know, I could listen to the clips online ... I only think to do so at work, where I can't.

http://s29.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=04ZIEPN9YPPUO210NDUEFR926I

Apologies for repeating earlier suggestions...
1. World Psychelelic Classics 3 comps on Luaka Bop
2. Afro Rock Volume 1 (especially as you say you're coming from a rock angle)
3. Golden Afrique comps - I would suggest that you start with Vol 1, as Volume 2 is entirely soukous. Also good stuff but at this point I'd think you're looking for broader exposure.

Also, not really what you're talking about, I highly recommend tracking down some Cymande stuff ("The Message," "Fug"). Absolutely blistering!

Surprised that no one has mentioned Brian Jones Presents The Pipes of Pan at Jajouka, which is still easily available. North African (not sub-Saharan), primitivist (not afropop), shaped by a somewhat hippie sensibility, but still probably historically important as a vector for introducing people like Byrne and Eno to African music. Also, people like it a lot. Also important were King Sunny Ade and Fela Kuti (much mentioned already), but also Hugh Masakela's Soul Makossa and a group called Ossibisa.

As for what people who dig Eno/Byrne would like now: if I had to bet on one record, it would be Konono #1.

you're going to be a happy man.

Tinariwen - Amassakoul
Congotronics - Konono N1
Ejigayehu (Gigi) Shibabaw & Abyssinia Infinite - Zion Roots
Amadou & Mariam - Dimanche a Bamako

but i did hear konono used as filler music on 'all things considered' last week, which means it has earned the dreaded 'npr music' label.

Still waiting for Golden Afrique 2 to arrive... but yeah, GA 1 is incredible.

BBC Four UK, The African Rock 'n' Roll Years:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcfour/music/features/african-rock.shtml

but caught the second and it was fascinating. had never seen anyone playing a mbira before, very odd looking but sounds great.

Burundi Black - Burundi Black
Ice - Racubah!
Black Blood - A.I.E (A'Mwana)
Buari - Advice From Father
Malinga Five with D'Allan Shelly - Kaloule Woman
Oneness of Juju - African Rhythms
Oneness of Juju - Too Poo-Liberation Dues
Dan Boadi & The African Internationals - Money Is The Root Of Evil
Blo - Get That Groove In

On the flipside, I occasionally listen to Musicians of the Nile.