With an egg nog aftertaste and wrapping paper all over the floor, Benn Loxo is back…

In 1973 highlife music was in trouble. The old-school were being pushed out the door by cheap disco and funk music from Nigeria and the States. Lucky for us a group of young highlife believers refused to let it die. Some started trying new forms of guitar-heavy highlife, dropping the horns and slow-dance rhythms of old in favour of a faster, harder music. Others created new forms of highlife-funk fusion. It was almost afrobeat, but still highlife. A new funky twist on a great sound.

One of these funk stars is Charles Kofi Amankwaa Mann (C. K. Mann) from Ghana. He took the traditional Ghanaian osode highlife beat and remixed it for the new generation. Add some whriling organ, fat bass lines and highlife harmonies and you get some seriously cool new music.

C. K., as he’s known in Ghana, is a self-taught guitarist and ex-sailor. He got his break playing for Kakaiku’s Guitar Band in the 60s. Once he established himself he started his own band, The Carousel 7. They had a mega-hit in ‘69, Edina Brenya, which propelled C. K. into stardom. It’s around this time that C. K. began to develop his new osode sound and incorporate disco and funk into highlife.

Today’s track was released in 1975 as part of a long-playing party LP. It was a big it, and directly responsible for reigniting the public’s waning interest in highlife music. Personally I listen to it while washing the dishes (combined with dancing) after a few glasses of wine and a good party.

ps- During the 80s C. K. Mann saved highlife again, but this time by mixing its traditions with gospel music. In present-day Ghana highlife is alive and well, though gospel-highlife is the sound of the moment thanks in part to people like Mann.

C. K. Mann – Funky Hi-Life

Well, I’m in the Paris CDG departure lounge at the moment. I’m wildly bored since I’ve been traveling and/or arguing with airport officials for about 1.5 days. Before boarding my final flight to the 3rd continent of my journey I thought I’d do a quick post.

I’m on airport wi-fi and without much music at the moment, but I noticed I left a Kante Manfila track on my laptop drive. This song is nicely soothing for my tired ears. Good for a Sunday, too. (It is Sunday, right?)

In short, Kante Manfila is a Mandingo from Guinea who strums a nice acoustic guitar. He used to play in Les Ambasadeurs with Mory Kanté and Salif Keita. Buy his music here.

ps- the picture on today’s post is one I took while flying an ultralight over sand dunes in Namibia. Anyone have any Namibian music they’d like to share?

Kante Manfila – Agne Anko

WAKE UP! It’s Saturday! Time for wailing guitars, gyrating buttocks and shaking bosom!

I completely forget who this song is by or what the title is. But long live bootlegs, long live soukous and long live Congo.

Well, I’m awake now… you?

Congolese Music for a Saturday Morning

Something about living in a sand-blasted region filled with ex-empires makes the various peoples of the Sahel want to rock-out. Musicians like Ali Farka Toure have popularized the Malian “desert blues” sound, while others like Amadou and Mariam are spreading the sub-Saharan rock love.

Tinariwen is another one of these groups who blend solid electric guitar with local rhythms and song in a successful mix. Their music falls somewhere between North African traditional music, Malian blues and contemporary sub-Saharan rock n roll.

The ten members of Tinariwen are Touareg, a stateless nomadic people from the southern Sahara who have historically been caught somewhere between the borders of the Sahel and North Africa. Many of them are based in present-day Mali where they’ve been oppressed and/or ignored by the Malian government for years.

When time came for the Touaregs to give the finger to Mali and fight for independence Algeria stepped in and promised weapons and support. Ghadaffi also promised them their own state, or at least some form of autonomy in the south of his country and the north of Mali, following a successful revolution. However, always one to make a hollow promise, Ghadaffi duped the Touaregs. They quickly realized that he was just using them as pawns in his own pursuits to gain more territory.

Tinariwen’s music has become the unofficial soundtrack for the Touareg revolution against both Algeria and Mali. Their music has been banned in both countries. They sing about resistance, exile and future independence, and also play a mean guitar.

Formed in 1982, Tinariwen have just recently started to record albums for wide-release. Their 2001 album The Radio Tisdas Sessions did very well, giving the group as well as the Touareg’s plight much media attention. This year they released a second album, even better than the first in my opinion, Amassakoul. You’ll find a track from each in today’s post.

Tinariwen – Chet Boghassa
Tinariwen – Afours Afours

I’m not the the only guy posting African music. Check out my suggestions below then please leave your own in the comments.

A few Benn Loxo readers and contributors with a fabulous record collection have started their own blog, Akwaaba Sound System. Today’s post features some lesser-known music by Francis Bebey that they introduced to me a couple weeks back. Great stuff – go grab it before it’s gone.

The Suburbs Are Killing Us featured some wild Congolese brousse electronic the other day. You’ll see what I mean when you listen.

If you’re still feeling the Congo, check-out Tikun Olam for some rumba by Sam Mangwana. You’ll often find nice African music on this site.

Funk You featured some Manu Dibango the other day. Always fun…