Release date 02.12.2014
"On his visit to Kinshasa James Brown dubbed him *Mister Dynamite*"

It has been a struggle to lay hands on Verckys, although the man doesn´t go unnoticed. Notorious for being one of Congo´s most ruthless business men, the legendary musician had build a whole imperium in Kinshasa, the capital city of the central african power house (arguably one of the toughest places in the world) and has a whole building with his name, in the very heart of the city.

So I travelled to the Congo in June of 2013 to find Verckys only to find out that he headed in opposite direction to sort out his health issues. But I did meet his manager who gave me his phone number, so I called:  "Oh Monsieur Samy, we need to met, lets talk business", he said, probably not knowing that I was an independent record label, with all it represents.  But the more I spoke to the men the more I realised that he was genuinely interested in music more then anything else. The following message I received few weeks ago, confirmed my feeling:

"Samy, I am writing to you because I´m a little worried. I´ve been thinking about your selection and I now wonder if your compilation will do well due to the fact that the chosen songs had little impact in Kinshasa. Others had much more success"
I was surprised but pleased to see that he cared about the project although I had already paid him in full. But why wouldn't he? Its his music after all.

"Most of the songs you´ve selected were recorded in Nairobi, for the Kenyan market. These songs did very well there, also in Zambia, but here in the Congo they flopped...except for "Ya Nini", that was a monster hit. Still, I am very surprised you´ve mentioned it has become a legendary track in Colombia, positively surprised"

This compilation was supposed to be released in October as a limited edition of 2000 copies, but after a few Skype chats with Verckys, seeing that he has come to terms with his health issues, and pushing for a European tour come next summer, we´ve decided to release this as Analog Africa No.17 which is now going to see light of day first week of December.

In the mean time enjoy this imperial slice of Congolese Afrobeat. "Bassala Hot" is doomed to  cast a spell on each and every dancefloor that dares to spin its bewitching sound. Beware!!!

Thank you for reading. Samy (Analog Africa)

Listen and Buy here

Bassala Hot - Verckys et l´Orchestre Vévé

Renouveau - Amadou Balaké et Les 5 consuls

http://reggaelizeit.com | http://fb.com/reggaelizeit

Music song by Puppa Lëk Sèn performing "Soudan", a track taken from his upcoming album "Sweet & Tuff" produced by Jahsen Creation, which is planned for distribution beginning of 2016. 
Digital EP digital will be already available from 8 October 2015.!

Follow:
https://www.facebook.com/LekSenMusic
https://twitter.com/PuppaLekSen
https://www.facebook.com/JahsenCreation
https://twitter.com/jahsencreation

Promotional use only!

Puppa Lëk Sèn - Soudan (Sweet & Tuff) Jahsen Creation - 2016

Modern Ethiopian Dance Grooves Inspired By Swinging Addis
Compiled by JJ Whitefield

BEYOND ADDIS - Vol.2

Karl Hector & The Malcouns - Kingdom Of D'mt

Earthology

Safari Strut

From the upcoming compilation: 
Analog Africa No.11 - Le Super Borgou de Parakou - The Bariba Sound
Release date: 27th Mars 2012

Wegne´Nda M´Banda (Bariba Soul) - Le Super Borgou de Parakou

The Whitefield Brothers - Safari Strut

Impovisation
Picture by Christian Carleer
Cover by Peurduloup (http://www.peurduloup.fr)

Tama Tama

Bámanaya

Available on Analog Africa No.13 - The Skeletal Essences of Afro Funk
Release date: April 30th

Ecoute ma Melodie - Orchestre Poly-Rythmo de Cotonou

Original Raw Soul III

The Bastard

Aboubakar Traoré from Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso, is a prodigy of the Kamele n'Goni and an exceptional singer. He tells and renews the fabulous repertoire of the Mandingo Griots, denounces the daily difficulties of his people and pays tribute to the elders who have marked the history of his country and of Africa.

With its contemporary sounds, Aboubakar Traoré's music is resolutely oriented towards the future, without turning its back on the long tradition of Griots and West African songs. This music without borders reflects the climate of multiculturalism and crossbreeding in which our world is immersed.

Debut album "Tama Tama" was nomitad by Octaves de la Musique 2021 and the band was selected to showcase at Visa For Music (2023) in Morocco and Belgian Worldwide Music Night (2023) in Brussels.

Having gathered top class musicians such as Zonatan Dembélé (bass), former member of Rokia Traoré (Mali) , Désiré Somé (el. guitar), member of  Bai Kamar Jr. 's band The Voodoo Sniffers and Foofango, Guillaume Codutti (percussion) and Geoffrey Desmet (balafon, djembe), both part of percussive big band Sysmo, Aboubakar Traoré today, aspires to be one of the leading world music musicians who fuse tradition with modern sounds. His strength lies in his self-taught, traditional, rich and varied background. 

Aboubakar Traoré - Kamélé n'goni, lead vocal
Désiré Somé - Guitar, backing vocals
Guillaume Codutti - Percussion, backing vocals
Geoffrey Desmet - Balafon, djembe, backing vocals
Zonatan Dembélé - Bass

Bámanaya

Aboubakar Traoré & Balima

Related tracks