Two songs today. They have nothing in common.

First, I don’t know what made me think of Letta Mbulu this morning. Maybe it’s the below-zero morning temperatures that make me long for warm climates, or the blue skies outside, or the transport union strife in France. Who knows. Point is, Kube is what I need this morning.

Second, those of you who keep up with the Africanambiance forum may already have it, or you might have heard them on Soul Sides or Matsuli, but Wganda Kenya is also what I need this morning.

Ah, the mid-week playlist.

Letta Mbulu – Kube
Wganda Kenya – El Evangelio Calypso

A really quick post before I have to run into work.

Today’s track is once again from an Original Music release, Siya Hamba! 1950s South African Country And Small Town Sounds, a compilation of popular music in South Africa at the time.

I agree with the liner notes when they refer to the 1950s as the glory days of South African music. Upbeat rhythms with wonderful female lead vocals were just a couple of the highlights of the era.

I should say at least that the title of today’s track appropriately translates into the title of today’s post. I’d go on but I can’t be late today! I’m sure that, as always, Benn loxo listeners will fill in the gaps where needed in the comments.

So enjoy this smalltown jump as I fly out the door…

The Jury Mpelho Band feat. Irene Buyiswa Ndumo – Puma Endlini Yam

A random morning shuffle of not-yet-listened-to albums brings us Lungiswa’s cover of Marvin Gaye’s classic, Inner City Blues, sung in the Xhosa language.

Lungiswa is a young South African female vocalist from Cape Town. You may know her already from her work with Amampondo.

I thought I’d have a dig around for other versions of the song in my collection.

Have a listen to the original, plus a live version from Gaye’s Last Concert tour (that wasn’t really the last). Marc Moulin’s rendition is easily my favourite, and the New Orleans’ Dirty Dozen Brass Band whips up a version that for whatever reason reminds me of a Jean-Pierre Jeunet film.

If any of you have any good covers of Inner City Blues to share, send them to me and I’ll include them in this post.

ps- sorry, I just realized that podcasts have been broken for a while. They’re fixed now. Podcast link is http://bennloxo.com/?feed=rss2, or iptc://bennloxo.com/?feed=rss2 to open in iTunes directly.

Lungiswa – Inner City Blues (Xhosa version)
Marvin Gaye – Inner City Blues
Marvin Gaye – Inner City Blues (Live)
Marc Moulin – Inner City Blues
Dirty Dozen Brass Band – Inner City Blues
Brian Auger – Inner City Blues Thanks, Francois

If you’ve been reading Benn loxo for a while you’ll know that I can’t stick to a style. Benn loxo is all over the place. Some days I wake-up wanting 45rpm crackle and on others I miss the clean beep of crispy electronic.

That said, I’ve secretly been loving a drum n bass throw-back these last few days thanks to a mix in the mail from Fabric. I haven’t two-stepped in a long time but this Irish kid, Calibre, has got me rockin a breakbeat on my Velib’. I also have a particular fondness for the Irish…

So how do you work rnb-infused, London scene, Irish drum n bass into an African music web site? You dig out a kwaito mix that someone just passed you, that’s how.

Happy Wednesday.

Calibre feat. DRS – Hustlin’
Revolution feat. P. Tabane – Vhavenda (Revolution remix)

Another Benn loxo reader, Rob, came through huge this week with no less than six Original Music releases that I don’t already have. That puts my mini-collection at twelve. Nothing compared to this guy, but one day I’ll have all 39. If that ever happens maybe I’ll see what I can do about getting them re-released. I wonder who now holds the rights..

Africa Dances is an Original Music compilation from way back in 1973. It features music from 13 African countries, from Mozambique to Ethiopia to Sierra Leone. I already own about half of the music featured on the album, but there were still a few gems in there that I’d never heard.

Easily my favourite on the compilation is Miss Smodern by a South African group named, surprisingly, Smodern. This great track is begging for a clean-up and a remake. And I’ve never posted any music from Zambia on Benn loxo so we’ll hear some interesting sounds by John Lushi.

There’s a good interview with Original Music’s founder, John Storm Roberts, here. I also just found an aging blog of his on Blogger. Does anyone know him? From what I can tell he’s 71 and lives in NY.. I think I’ll try to get in touch.

ps- just realized that I already posted some Broadway Dance Band off Africa Dances way back in November 2004. Apparently I lost the album in the Dakar-Paris move.. glad it’s back in the collection!

Smodern – Miss Smodern
John Lushi – Bamgufya Ba Kwoti

Every one of the three Golden Afrique compilations is awesome. (Thanks, Network Medien.) All three of today’s tracks are awesome. Friday after work is awesome. This weather, even though it spells doom for my children, is awesome too.

The third in the Golden Afrique series was released last fall. It focuses on mid-20th century music from southern Africa. A lot of my favourites are in there. Sold-out at Stern’s with good reason, it’s just as strong as its predecessors. Thanks to Benn loxo listener, bullet-dodger and shiny brushed aluminum obsessor, Ben, I just got my hands on it.

If you were an early adopter you might have already listened to Tuku on Benn loxo. The Soul Brothers have played here before, too. Dolly Rathebe, however, is a new member of the club. She’s pictured on today’s post.

You can read more about Rathebe’s story here. I love that her name, Dolly, became South African slang for “okay”. Next time someone asks how you’re doing answer back, “I’m dolly.”

Soul Brothers – Bayeza
Oliver Mtukudzi – Rugare Rwamangwana
Dolly Rathebe – Kitty’s Blues

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

Today we have a guest post by Benn loxo listener and good friend, Caroline, in Amsterdam:

“And the Oscar goes to…..” This year the South African director Gavin Hood climbed up the stage and held the golden statue proudly above his head. The Academy judged his film Tsotsi the best foreign picture. In Amsterdam the film was shown during the Amnesty Film Festival so even more reason for me to go see it. The story is about Tsotsi, a ruthless young gang leader in Soweto. He is immersed in a world of violence which seems to leave him unaffected. He has no hope for a change or redemption until he discovers a baby in the back seat of a car he has stolen.

I was touched by the movie – it was beautifully shot and the casting was excellent. The soundtrack was wonderful too and fit perfectly with the rest of the production. Most of the songs were by Zola. Zola, né Bonginkosi Dlamini, grew up in Zola, one of the slums of the South Western Townships (Soweto) where the film was shot. It was in these backstreets where he emerged as South Africa’s Kwaito superstar.

When I listen to this music I find myself in the middle of Soweto again. I am dancing, this time not to the sounds of The Soul Brothers but to the loving lawlessness of a lost generation of hopefuls who survive on pure emotional resonance and heat.

Thanks, Caroline. Amazing post. -Matt

Zola – Mdlwembe

Guest post today by Benn loxo listener, Grant:

“A lot of south african mbaqanga music is ruled by three chord theory but the musicians don’t seem to get tired of it. they just dig it deeper and deeper.

The Soul Brothers had been producing hits in South Africa for twenty years before they brought out this album. So it’s no wonder the playing on this album is super tight. These guys play like they are one, and like a lot of good african musicians everyone knows their respectful place in the band and no one seriously tries to steal the show.

The intensity of this song is very captivating, it’s like a hard fast ride you can’t get off of. Hard driving bass lines, shimmering vocals and a swirling accordion-modernizing Hammond B-3 organ kicks and swings this track from start to finish.

pump up the bass!”

Today’s track comes off the 1995 Earthworks release, Jump & Jive, by The Soul Brothers. Thanks, Grant!

Soul Brothers – Abantu (People)

Guest post today by Benn loxo listener, Matt:

Vikings feat. Al Bentley – Kansas City
Recently I discovered that my second cousin was South Africa’s “king” of rock and roll. After some digging amongst family members and some web research and requests I managed to get a CD-R of his hits. The music is mostly derivative of the imported rock and roll songs and no original material appears to have been written until much later in the decade. This particular tune is taken from the first South African rock and roll LP Rock Party at the Club Pepsi with the Vikings, RCA Victor

Dark City Sisters – Shala Shala Twist
On the other side of the tracks, in musical hotspots such as Sophiatown and elsewhere, black musicians were also taking on the American sounds they were hearing. Only this time they seemed to take ownership of them. A good example is Shala Shala Twist by the Dark City Sisters. This is sung inthe urban lingua-franca of the day – tsotsitaal, an urban mix of Afrikaans, English and Zulu – where they ask “Sonny, come look, we play Shala Shala Twist. Mother, oh, please come judge us doing the Shala Shala Twist”.

The music on this home compiled CD-r was made possible by two other compilations long since deleted. These are “Flying Rock – South African Rock ‘n Roll 1950-1962 (Global Village)” and “Money No Be Sand -1960s Afro-Lypso, Pidgin Highlife, Afro-Soul and Afro-Rock from Nigeria and Ghana (Original Music)” (which was featured here a while back on Benn loxo)

Links:
South African rock and roll archives
South Africa – The Hidden Years
South Africa – Music Styles

The Vikings feat. Al Bentley – Kansas City
Dark City Sisters – Shala Shala Twist