Aug 18/06
A man of a thousand stories
Nearly two years ago, when Benn loxo was but a pup and audioblogs were just getting noticed, I wrote a post about early folk music from Mozambique. I mentioned how this music would later develop in a style called marrabenta, something you’ll hear today.
Marrabenta refers to an acoustic style from Mozambique that blends Portuguese and Mozambican folk traditions. It sounds like a more refined version of South African pre-apartheid hobo music, or even early palm wine guitar.
Dilon Djindji is one of the earlier marrabenta artists. His style is relaxed and all about the acoustic guitar jangle we’ve heard many times on this site.
As usual, the folks at Rough Guide have done an amazing job. Their album Rough Guide to Marrabenta Mozambique is a collection of marrabenta tracks in all styles, from its roots through its peak in the 1980s to newer musicians. You can also hear/buy much more Dilon Djindji over at Benn loxo’s favourite online music store, Calabash.
Dilon Djindji – Mariaria Ter Teresa
Tags: marrabenta, mozambique
Loved this music.
Matt, I just want to say that I love your site. It is one of the most consistently informative and entertaining music blogs I’ve ever seen. You put up the most amazing array of music! I’ve learned so much.
And I’ve got to say, I’m totally impressed with your writing. It’s clear, contains lots of information in a succinct fashion, and you don’t mis-spell words. Well, I’m from Chicago, where the subway system recently put up a whole mess of signs with mis-spellings and mis-information AND I just finished writing my dissertation last night. So perhaps I’m a trifle obsessed with good writing at this point. But I do appreciate your aesthetically pleasing verbal presentations and as well as the music.
You sound like an interesting person. What a life you have! I spent most of my adult life travelling or living overseas (Asia and the South Pacific) but I don’t travel much right now. So I enjoy getting those glimpses of your peripatetic life. How you find the time to put up such a meticulously crafted web site is beyond me.
OK, this sounds like a mash note. If it is, it’s for the beauty of what you put up for your audience every week. Your site really is one of the best on the web, and I just wanted you to know how much one person appreciates your work.
Kate G.
Thanks a lot, Kate. Sometimes I’m not quite sure if anyone actually sticks around to read the posts after downloading the tracks. It’s great to hear that you enjoy the writing, too. It’s been two years now and I still find it really fun to write the posts, even if they’re random rambles most of the time. It’s a great excuse to keep up the hunt for good new African music even though I no longer live there.
I say this to everyone who writes in: glad you’re listening, and if you ever have your own writing or music to contribute please get in touch. Trading and guest posts are what keep this site alive.
Cheers,
Matt
I’m with Kate, except I’m too lazy to properly express my appreciation. (Dissertation writers have to be disciplined–not me.)
But yeah, you’re invaluable. Thanks for being.
Kerri
[...] I guess all my praise of the Rough Guide’s world music compilations caught someone’s eye. A stack of their 2006 releases arrived at my door the other day courtesy of the World Music Network. Big thanks for the gift! [...]