2017

i-sha feels through a deeply personal session of emotional resonance and cathartic intensity for this week’s Fact Mix.

https://www.factmag.com/2023/04/03/fact-mix-i-sha/

Fact Mixes

Fact Mix 902: i-sha (Apr '23)

In partnership with Teranga beat, the current leading label for Senegalese music, Analog Africa proudly offer an insight into the musical adventures that were taking place in the major Senegalese cities during the 60s and 70s. 

It all started in 2009 when Adamantios Kafetzis travelled from Greece to Senegal with a brand new tape machine that he used to digitise the musical treasures he had discovered in the city of Thiés. These treasures took the form of reel tapes, and had been recorded by sound engineer Moussa Diallo, who had spent the previous four decades immortalising, onto magnetic tape, the bands that would later perform in his club, the legendary Sangomar. 

300 Senegalese songs that nobody had ever heard before were discovered - Five of them were selected for this compilation. 

Thanks to its history of outside influences, Senegal – the western point of Africa - had become a musical melting pot.  
Cuban and American sailors had brought Son Montuno from Cuba, Jazz from New Orleans and American soul tunes: sounds that were swiftly embraced and adopted by urban dance bands and intuitively merged with local music styles.

One band in particular excelled at this fusion. 1960 marks the formation of Le Star Band de Dakar, a milestone that left an indelible imprint on Dakar’s musical landscape. Indeed, the whole country was soon grooving to their intoxicating mixture of Afro Cuban rhythms and Wolof-language lyrics. 

The 1970s brought a new generation of stellar bands like Le Sahel, Orchestre Laye Thiam, Number One de Dakar, Orchestra Baobab, Dieuf Dieul de Thies, Xalam 1 who fused traditional Senegalese percussion instruments such Sabra, Tama and Bougarabou with organs and keyboards, giving birth to new hybrids. Merging the folkloric and the experimental, these sounds, embraced by the youth, took centre stage and gave the previously dominant Cuban music a run for its money.

With this burst of musical and artistic creativity, driven predominantly by the modern vision of President Senghor, Dakar began attracting international stars. The Jackson Five, James Brown, Tabou Combo (Haiti), Celia Cruz (Cuba) and an array of African stars like Tabu Ley Rochereau (Congo), Manu Dibango (Cameroon) and Bembeya Jazz (Guinée) joined in with the local scene, improvising jam sessions and bringing new flavours to a music scene that was always open to new inspirations and influences. Johnny Pacheco immortalised his passion for the city with a song called “Dakar, Punto Final”.

4 years in the making, this compilation, reflects the unique fusion of Funk, Mbalax, Cuban Son and Mandingue sounds that helped transform Dakar into West Africa´s most vibrant city. 

The comprehensive booklet that comes with the CD - 44 pages or with the 2xLP - 12 pages LP size booklet - are a precious document attesting to the decades of transformation that led to modern Senegalese music. Featuring biographies of music producers and a legendary record cover designer, as well as the life stories of all the groups represented here, the booklet also includes a fantastic selection of photos that have never seen before.


Mariama - Orchestre Fangóól (Leave a comment for Max Dia  - Singer/Composer - I will forward)

Teranga Beat’s aim since the beginning of the label is to release lost and unreleased recordings of both famous groups and formerly unknown artists of West Africa. While going through several archives of the region, what thrilled me the most was the feeling of unexpected, especially when I stumbled upon a terrific recording from a totally unknown group. Discovering music that nobody has ever listened to before. I guess it has something to do with the psychology of the collector, always searching for that record nobody has. 

My favourite discovery up to date is the Dieuf-Dieul de Thiès, a band that did not manage to release any of its recordings. I had previously heard their name in Thiès, but to my ears it sounded like an urban legend. People involved in music would rate it as the best group in the city, but nobody had ever seen a record from them, let alone a cassette. I thought it was one of these stories of gross exaggeration, so common in West Africa. However, when I fell upon their recordings and listened to them I realised it was all true.

In 2013 Teranga Beat released the first volume of Dieuf-Dieul's recordings. Today, on this vol. 2 album we proudly present the rest of their recorded tracks. On Vol.1 the tracks were well divided among three singers: Assane Camara with his unique style, an  Afro-Manding hybrid, which he acquired through years of performing in the South region of Senegal, but also by virtue of being a Sosseh (that is, of Gambian origin) himself; the great Griot Gora Mbaye with his strong voice and deep wolof lyrics, displaying his strong links to the tradition of the country; and finally, the then young and talented Bassirou Sarr with his great singing skills. 

Five out of seven overall tracks of Volume 2 feature Bassirou Sarr, a truly exceptional singer. Whether in a ballad or some explosive Mbalax, Bassirou's voice is always full of emotion. But if I had to pick out one song, that would definitely be "Raki". When Bassirou got the chance to finally listen to the song (30 years after its initial recording!), he told me the following story: one night, while performing singing "Raki" in Kolda, he noticed a man weeping right in front of the stage. Suddenly, the man turned to Bassirou and said: "Now listen here, you're not going nowhere! You're staying here and play this song all night long!". 

One of the two remaining tunes, "Rumba Para Parejas", is a great latin cover sung by Assane Camara (Camou Yande). Although in his interview Bassirou admitted that Latin music was not their strong point, this track shows how good performers Dieuf-Dieul actually were. Besides, it is somehow ironic that, after the band broke up, all of its members gradually became Salsa musicians.

Having said all that, I am delighted to announce that Dieuf-Dieul are back together after 32 years, preparing for their first international tour! I sincerely hope this record will contribute to the international recognition Dieuf-Dieul fully deserve.

DIEUF - DIEUL de Thiès - Nianky (Short Edit Version)

Frootful, the name guitarist Nick Radford records under, has already established itself as one of the classiest acts on Freestyle in 2011. The single Fish In the Sea received critical plaudits, much radio and club play and the subsequent album 'Colours' was a JAZZ FM Album Of The Week.

And now Frootful bring to us what must surely be one of the most sublime, beautiful and touching records Freestyle has ever had the pleasure to release! Slowtime was one highlight of the debut album, featuring as it does the wonderful vocal of Nick Radfords' long time musical collaborator Angeline Morrison (The Ambassadors Of Sorrow).

This new re-imagining of the track infuses the composition with an extra layer of mellow, super chilled latin atmosphere, beginning with haunting strings and then a gentle back beat as Angelines' voice sounds simply amazing as she recounts the story of heartfelt love.

Latin Strut is a track which was just crying out to be released on a dance floor filling 12 inch single format, so that is what Freestyle have done. This is pure dancefloor juice and no mistake.

Finally, Lack Of Afro (Adam Gibbons) gives us his drums and horn driven reworking of Slowtime, a complete rebuild from the foundations up that couldn't be more different to the original version, and it is dynamite and of course is totally 100% exclusive to this brand new single from Frootful!


Latin Strut

WALLY-SECK-Feat.-SIDIKI-DIABATE-ALHAMDOU-LILAH.mp3

Oumou Sangaré's single "Yere Faga ft. Tony Allen" is out on all platforms
To stream/download the single and pre-order the album 'Mogoya' on iTunes [Out 19 May] 
▷▷ idol.lnk.to/Mogoya

Oumou Sangaré - Yere Faga feat. Tony Allen

This is a portion of a Johnny "Hammond" Smith song entitled "Dreams." Johnny is on piano and Grover Washington Jr. is on saxophone. This is just a sample from the song for the purpose of this remix contest. Enjoy.

Dreams-remix

Wallander BBC1 series 2 - Clip 1

Releasing the best in funk, jazz, soul, reggae & more since 2003

Latin Strut

Freestyle Records

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