A couple tracks from another recent Rough Guide release: North African Café. As usual it’s a solid compilation, this time of music inspired by or coming directly from the café scene in North Africa and its outposts abroad.

Jean-Pierre Smadj is a French-Tunisian oud player who likes to mix up North African music. Today’s track is by his S.O.S. project, a collaboration between Smadj, Orhan Osman and Savas Zurnasi. It reminds me a lot of early Gotan Project.

Akli D is an Algeria-born, Berber musician who also likes to mix it up a bit, combining shaabi music and other Kabyle sounds with a variety of styles. Parisian readers might remember his group Les Rebeuhs Des Bois.

Manu Chao produced his latest album, Ma Yela, where today’s track comes from. I’ve been meaning to see him live for a while now but I’m never free when he’s playing. Soon, soon..

Smadj presents S.O.S. Project – Hat
Akli D – Barman

From the good people over at Creative Commons, Modiba Productions, Global Beat Fusion and Rock Paper Scissors:

“Vieux Farka Touré–son of the late great African blues guitarist Ali Farka Touré–is doing a remix contest with Creative Commons.

Would you consider announcing this remix contest using Vieux’s song “Ana” (online, in an enewsletter, in print, or on the air)?

Audio elements for remixing are available for download starting today at http://ccmixter.org/vieux. Uploads of finished masterpieces can start on February 7th; contest ends March 7th.”

Ana Remix Contest Sources

On my bike ride back from work every day I pass the Hotel Costes, Café Marly and other Costes brothers creations, filled with Americans and Gulf Arabs anxiously scanning the tables for Kate Moss over their oversized glasses of kir royales. Those who live in Paris regard the Costes thing with a (typically French) mix of disdain and mild amusement but let’s face it, I’ve met for more than a few apéro inside. Say what you want about the brothers, but they have singlehandedly revived Parisian boutique chic, for better or for worse.

So while you’re far more likely to catch me at the bar at the Sattelit Café or the New Morning, everyone has their velvet moments… even Africa. Over the last few years I’ve noticed a lot of “Africa chic” musical compilations and art exhibits in both Africa and the West. The Pompidou’s Africa Remix exhibit was a prime example of showing contemporary Africa as something trendy, really doing its own thing in a modern way. DJ’s are increasingly mixing African music, and African DJs themselves are getting wider recognition in mainstream chic culture. Look at the sucess of Konomo No. 1, or Tsotsi’s Zola or any number of the remix compilations like the multiple-volume Africa, C’est Chic and Frikyiwa.

I could easily imagine today’s track playing in a Costes establishment lounge. You know, the kind with lithe bright red-lipped 18-year-olds draped over the overstuffed sofas and angry looking bouncers with bad haircuts. In fact, the DJ who remixes today’s track is French. Llorca is a producer who was part of that whole late-90s French deep house scene à la Laurent Garnier.. that, I’ll admit, was great. His mixing skills combined with Malian Abdulaye Diabate’s rhythmic singing produces a great, soothing track.

Sit back, relax, and grab a martini. If you want more, grab this track and others on the Frikyiwa 2 compilation over at Six Degrees Records.

Abdulaye Diabate – Foronto (Llorca mix)

Happy new year.

I’m back from Canada, in a new apartment just down the street from the Paris SDFs, ready for another good 12 months as I hope you all are. Big love for sticking with Benn loxo for yet another year.

A few weeks ago a Benn loxo reader tipped me off about a good remix of The Uhuru Dance Band’s song, Olufeme, by Natural Self. I particularly like this mix because he keeps it simple. The original was already ready for the dancefloor, but boost the bass and add some loops and suddenly the hiphop kids forget they’re dancing to 70s Ghana groove.

In his own words, “Natural Self is an on going project by producer Keno-1 that involves various collaborators along the way.” More info on the MySpace page or here.

You might have already heard the original on that great compilation, Ghana Soundz 2.

Natural Self – Olufeme
Oscar Sulley & The Uhuru Dance Band – Olufeme

Don’t get me wrong – I love Christmas, especially the bit where I get to blast Domenic The Italian Christmas Donkey in my car with the windows down.

But I need a break after the overdrive of carols… so I was digging through my collection this afternoon and decided to put together a little gift: my favourite African hiphop tunes, at least for this warm Christmas Eve afternoon.

It’s a good opportunity for new Benn loxo listeners to do some catch-up and hear tracks that were posted before they found this site. For the rest of us it’s a little collection of beats I hope you all enjoy.. plus a Madvillain bonus track that’s too good to leave off. Merry Christmas.

If you want to suggest any of your African hiphop favourites that didn’t make this quick mix leave a comment or send me an e-mail.

Bole 2 Harlem – Hoya Hoye
Emmanuel Jal & Abdel Gadir Salim – Elengwen
Gokh-Bi System – Xaesal
X-Plastaz – Msimu kwa msimu
Mode9 – Track 1
Daara J – Boomerang
Positive Black Soul – Boul Ma Mine
Outshine – Caution
Batman Samini – Lambori
Positive Black Soul – Redemption
Awadi – Le cri ou peuple
Xuman et Bugz Bunny – Sassouné
Abass – Abass
Viviane & Fou Malade – Taximan
Omzo – Missalu Aduna
Slam Revolution Feat BMG 44
Posse & Doudou – Africa Lakalé
Boul N’Baï – SIDA
Slam Revolution – Wax Degg
Mode9 – Track 4
Madvillain – Figaro (101 Remix)