Benn loxo du taccu turns 2-years-old today!

There have been 265 posts and over 1200 comments since I started this site in September 30th, 2004. Thanks to everyone for listening, reading and participating. We’ve had some great guest posts this year and plenty of music, photo and idea submissions from people all over the world.

Judging from the feedback I got from that world map of Benn loxo listeners, many of you are interested in who else is visiting this site. As of today, 187 of you are subscribed to the notification e-mails and many more read Benn loxo on the web, via RSS or subscribe to the podcast. If Google Analytics is to be believed, we’re holding steady at about 350-600 unique web visitors per day from over 100 different countries, including:

United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Canada, Netherlands, Italy, Belgium, Australia, Spain, Sweden, Senegal, Switzerland, Brazil, Japan, Colombia, South Africa, Finland, Portugal, Austria, Hungary, Czech Republic, Argentina, Norway, Poland, New Zealand, Greece, China, Ireland, Denmark, Israel, Morocco, Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, Mali, Russia, Egypt, Croatia, India, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Philippines, Cyprus, Singapore, Romania, Cote D’Ivoire, Thailand, Nigeria, Bosnia and Herzegovina,
Iceland, Latvia, Estonia, Ukraine, Kenya, Taiwan, Costa Rica, Peru, Chile, Bulgaria, Guatemala, Saudi Arabia, Ghana, Uganda, Iran, Oman, Rwanda, Tanzania, Venezuela, Trinidad and Tobago, Panama, Mauritania, Pakistan, Cameroon, Slovenia, Algeria, Puerto Rico, Jordan, Congo, Sudan, Seychelles, Namibia, Libya, Madagascar, Macedonia, Gabon, Barbados, Syria, Uruguay, Botswana, Paraguay, Gambia, Slovakia, El Salvador, Qatar, Burkina Faso, Angola, Eritrea, Tunisia, Luxembourg, Jamaica, Dominican Republic and Togo.

I’m constantly impressed by the diversity of the visitors and that people are interested in my casual exploration of African music. Sure, most people just swing by and pick-up the music.. but that’s cool, especially if they enjoy it. Many of you stick around and leave comments that enrich the content and keep me on my toes when I make mistakes. I’ve learned a lot over the last two years and maintaining this site has kept me motivated to keep collecting African music since leaving Senegal.

My collection continues to grow but so far we’ve only heard a tiny portion of what the African continent has to offer. With this in mind, I’m heading to Dakar, Senegal, for a week in October where I’ll hopefully dig-up some solid tunes for all to hear. Stay posted.

Cheers,
Matt

ps- the amazing cover below is courtesy of Fabian at Special de Kenya

Many of you probably have Emmanuel Jal and Abdel Gadir Salim’s album Ceasefire already but I haven’t yet posted it on Benn loxo.

Nominated for the 2006 BBC World Music Awards, Emmanuel Jal has risen from obscurity to become one of Africa’s most well-known rappers.

He’s a good musician in his own right, but Jal’s life story makes journalists drool. He was a child-soldier in Sudan from a young age until was smuggled into Kenya by a British aid worker. In Nairobi, Jal flourished as a musician despite the aid worker dying in a car crash. He eventually started giving concerts for homeless kids as well as participating in the local hiphop scene as an MC.

For 2005’s Ceasefire Jal collaborated with Sudanese oud-playing legend, Abdel Gadir Salim. Jal raps and sings in English, Arabic, Swahili and Dinka while Salim strums it out, occasionally busting in with his own vocals. The combination of old-shcool and new-school East African sounds works really well. It’s no surprise that this album has become a success, with or without the “media-friendly-so-now” Jal bio.

You can pick up Ceasefire over at the World Music Network or at any good record shop. You might have heard Jal on the latest War Child/Help compilation, too.

ps- there won’t be any new posts until the beginning of October. Time for some time in the sun, you know.

Emmanuel Jal & Abdel Gadir Salim - Elengwen

Yesterday I featured a Rock Paper Scissors project, Bole 2 Harlem, so today I’d thought I’d explore another of their chosen groups, Tartit.

Tartit is a Tuareg group of female musicians belonging to the Kel Tamashek society. Their music sounds a like a toned-down, more rootsy Tinariwen. I love the rythms and singing style.. plus they can produce sounds in their throats that would tie mine in knots.

Like Tinariwen, Tartit has its origins in the refugee camps of northern Mali. Tartit roughly translates into union, which refers to the cultural union of the Kel Tamashek society, now spread throughout Algeria, Libya, Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso.

Tartit’s only US release, Ichichilla, was put out by Network in 2000. You can see some cool photos of Tartit in Essakane, Mali, here. The album can be bought online at cdRoots.

One of these years I’m going to make it down to the Festival In The Desert in Tombouctou and Essakane, way up in northern Mali. Have any of you been? Maybe a few of us could split the rental cost of a 4×4 and head there for January 2008.

Tartit - Buloululba
Tartit - Holiyane Holiyana
Tartit - Hamoye

Benn loxo listener, Tristra, sent me some really great new music the other day. Bole 2 Harlem are an Ethiopian-American group out of NYC who combine traditional Ethiopian sounds with hiphop and other contemporary American styles.

The album grew out of Saturday night jam sessions at NYC Moroccan-French restaurant L’Orange Bleue. The mix of Ethiopian, American and Malian musicians who played together there everntually decided to put out an album.

I’m all about fusion and getting people otherwise not bothered about African music to give it a listen. It’s great, then, to see groups like this who make something that sounds cool to the young, urban American ear even while incorporating foreign styles.

You’ll hear this album played at parties and in taxis in both Ethiopia and North America.. that kind of successful musical bridging is rare. It’s also cool to hear some contemporary Ethopian-inspired sounds that aren’t from the “golden age” of Addis Ababa in the 1960s and 1970s.

You can grab Bole2Harlem on Amazon or at a good record shop after it’s release in the US on November 21st. Check-out their web site for more info. I’m loving the second track, Home, this morning…

Bole 2 Harlem - Bole 2 Harlem
Bole2Harlem - Home

Ex-roommate and Benn loxo listener, Ben, says:

“I know I’m late, but HOW COULD YOU miss I. K. Dairo (MBE) and his Blue Spots!?!?!

1. The guy has a seriously cool outfit.
2. He’s carrying an accordian.
3. In 1963 Queen Elizabeth awarded Dairo the MBE (Member of the British Empire).
4. And best of all… He helped to found “the Musical Copyright Society of Nigeria” - tougher jobs do not exist.

And Michael sends us a album cover rarity, along with a request for some Tropics and Snow, plus some Fireworks to go with the music.

Ronald wants to hear some Langa Langa What? I think it’s a track called Pétrole by Zaika Langa Langa with Jocker on vocals but please correct me if I’m wrong. And Quieto, I finally re-posted my tales of Guinean Dance Bands and the Circus. Speaking of which, this year’s Nuit Blanche fast approaches…

Below are the last in a series of African album covers here on Benn loxo. I love Ezy & Isaac with their what-up-Run-DMC look. Big thanks to Zim, John, Christopher and the people over at bolingo.org.

If you want to see some more amazing African album covers, check out these two forum threads:

http://www.fryer-mantis.co.uk/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=7018
http://www.fryer-mantis.co.uk/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=6806

Several more Benn loxo listeners contributed their favourite African album covers this week.

Benn loxo listener, Robald, offered up some background for the ones he sent:

“The first one is by Keletigui et ses Tambourinis from Guinea, (circa 1972/3). I found this lp in a department store in The Hague and was very surprised to find it there. Any casual customer would think this was an album with electric organ music, nothing could be further from the thruth, in fact it is one of the best Syliphone albums I have ever heard, full orchestra with great guitar and horn work, the electric organ can only be heard in the last song.”

“The second one is by Africa Negra from the small islands of Sao Tome and Principe (1983). On the cover we see singer and bandleader Joao Seria standing on a low wall holding a bird in his hand, why is he holding that bird? The music is great, one can hear that the music is influenced a bit by Congolese music, but they have their own distinctive sound.”

“The third one is by Nyboma (now with Kekele) and Orchestra Kamale (1977), on the cover we see Nyboma on the left with his producer Verckys. Apparently they were in Europe for business reasons and had their picture taken, but why did they have to wear these winter coats in the studio?”

Thanks Ronald, Dominique, Tom and Michael for the covers. And quieto, this Balla et ses Balladins re-post will be back-up tomorrow morning.

After yesterday’s post Benn loxo listener, Michael, was the first to send in his favourite African LP covers. The first one, Ngaluka Ngaluka by F Kenya, is fantastic.

Thanks to a suggestion by Benn loxo reader, Ben, I’m asking anyone who’s interested to submit their vote for Best African Album Covers.

If you have scans or suggestions please send them to me by e-mail, or you can leave a comment on this post. I made a little Prince Nico collage to get us started.

Nico’s poses in these photos are inspiring me for a black tie wedding I’m attending tonight. However, despite the nice tux I don’t think I’ll be able to match those knee-high, white leather boots.

In other re-posting news, DJ Nnambi is craving some Nico Champeta, Joe wants a better lit road, and Caroline wants Paolo in Amsterdam.

Send-in your favourite African album covers! And re-post requests are still welcome.

Today I’m finally getting around to answering some of your requests for re-posts:

Charlotte Dada asks, Don’t you know it’s gonna last? Benn loxo reader, Michael, did the remastering on that compilation.

Vajlet wanted some more Vinyl sabar

Mire wants us to cooperate with Sorcerer Guitar

Your requests are now welcome. Songs must have already been posted. Leave the post name or link in the comments if you’d like to see it again. And understand if I can’t get to all your requests…

I don’t know about you, but that Beninois Polyrythmo yesterday got me in the mood for some more 1970s electric bass and organ. Paris is grey-grey today, too, so we need some spice.

The Boy’s Doin’ It was originally released in 1976 following Hugh Masekela’s foray into the funk-laden world of Fela Kuti’s West Africa. Bands in Lagos and Accra were cranking out loads of amazing highlife, soul and afrobeat at the time and Masekela wanted in.

After a somewhat unsuccessful venture with Ghanaian highlife band, Hedzolleh, he was looking for something to match the success of his 1968 hit, Grazing in the Grass. In 1975 Masekela formed a new band and signed with Casablanca records.. and the resulting sounds were awesome.

Verve re-released The Boy’s Doin’ It in 1998, incorporating a few tracks from Masekela’s other Casablanca albums.

Many of you probably already have this album but if you don’t you should. Great for parties. Carl Craig remixed the title track last year sparking a bunch of kids who might never otherwise listen to classic African soul and funk to rush out and hit the crates. I guess that’s part of what this site is all about too. Does anyone have the Metro Area remix of Mama?

Hugh Masekela - You Told Your Mama Not to Worry
Hugh Masekela - Ashiko
Hugh Masekela - In the Jungle

Let’s be honest here: at its core, Benn loxo is all about Charlotte Dada and the amazing variety of soul and funk music that came out of East and West Africa during the 1970s. Today we go back to these roots with some horn-infused, organ-induced, heavy-on-the-bass, yet still so African 1970s tunes from the Republic of Benin.

Following the success of their two Ghana Soundz releases, Soundway released an amazing best-of compilation of one West Africa’s least known “golden era” bands, T.P. Orchestre Poly-Rythmo de Cotonou. As usual, they did a great job cleaning up the vinyl and bringing the tunes back to life without over-reproducing. We can thank Soundway’s Miles Cleret for the great crate-digging.

Despite their relative obscurity outside of Benin, The “Tout Puissant” Orchestre Poly-Rythmo are still a household name in Cotonou and were one of the most prolific groups to ever exist in Africa. Cleret reckons that they released over 50 full-length LPs and hundreds of 45s.

Today’s first track sounds a lot like one of my all-time favourite shower songs, Tighten-Up by Archie Bell and the Drells. The second.. shivers. I love it.

T.P. Orchestre Poly-Rythmo - Les Djos
T.P. Orchestre Poly-Rythmo - Kokoriko

Today’s guest post will hopefully be the first in a series called In my ears: The highlife listening booth by Benn loxo listener, Ubulujaja.

“This month these two highlife tracks recently caught my ear:

Bob Fred: Okolobie Special

An important Ukwani highlife guitarist, Bob Fred appears to have been at the center of the Ukwani highlife music scene of the late 70s and early 80s. He played lead guitar on Rogana Ottah classic 1st LP Ukwani Special in 1976, fronted for well known Ukwani highlife bands like the International Brothers and the Ndokwa Super International Band, and released several LPs under his own name.

I found the song Okolobie Special to be a good example of Bob Fred’s music. The opening features an up-tempo guitar and horn segment that sets the stage for the vocalists to launch into an eight minute cavalcade of call and response vocals. While the guitar playing clearly echoes Rogana Ottah style, the vocals have a rawer, earthier feel. The lead vocalist is listed as Paddy and the chorus is led by Show Scatter (who also appeared on the Ukwani Special LP) and someone named as George. Okolobie appears to be a town in the River State. A solid Uwkani highlife number.

Prince A.E. Amgabaduba: Tamarau Au Na

Tamarau Au Na is a song by Prince A.E. Amgabaduba. I don’t know much about the performer or how to classify his music style, except to say I always liked Prince A.E. Amgabaduba’s style of vocalization and have only been able to find a few tracks where all the depth and beauty of his singing really comes out. The 18 minute song Seikiriemelemor on the Highlife Specialist LP is his masterpiece, but this shorter song gives you a good idea of what his vocals are all about.

Hope you enjoy the music…

Ubulujaja”

Thanks for the music and info. I’m looking forward to future editions.

Bob Fred & Ukwuani Brothers - Okolobie Special
Prince A. E. Amgabaduba & his Amazuo’s Band of Nigeria - Tamarau Na