Island Time Mixes

Mixes

This episode of Island Time brings us a special mix from @morgan-greenstreet , a musician, DJ, and journalist based in New York. Here he gives us a deep dive into a style of music called simpa – in his words:

Simpa is a style of neo-traditional popular music of the Dagbani people of the north of Ghana. It exists in two overlapping forms: the live, acoustic session of drumming, singing and dancing – for example the group Kakpag-Yili Wait and See – and the highly produced electro-simpa versions created for sale in the local DVD market. These hard-driving tracks are produced by DJ/producers like Ebony and DJ Chare/Charlie with star singers like Dickson Gawan and Yaa Naraa.

For the traditional version, the drummers build their own drums from metal barrels, even making their own kick drum pedals. Some groups use a trumpet live and these answering melodic lines are represented by synths for the electro versions. The dancers are almost exclusively young women, and the dance is all about rapid, suggestive waist shaking.

I first heard simpa when I was in Tamale in the Northern region of Ghana in 2015. As my friend Saeed Alhassan Dawuni and I were running around town recording traditional music events for an Afropop Worldwide program, I kept hearing incredible local pop music blasting from car stereos and shops. Saeed and I visited a few music shops but they didn’t have anything like the stuff I’d been hearing. Eventually we visited a friend of Saeed’s who filled up a thumb drive with assorted low bitrate mp3s which I combed through for months after the trip, resulting in a Dagbani pop mix for Afropop (https://soundcloud.com/afropop-worldwide/dagbani-pop). One track on that mix really stood out for me, a twenty minute, fast-paced percussion-driven tune (mis)labeled “ebony hiphop.” Saeed identified the artist as Dickson Gawan and the style as simpa, and from there my interest deepened. We’ve been in touch in the years since then and Saeed keeps feeding my need for simpa with regular batches of new tracks. Through Saeed, I’m in touch with Dickson Gawan and plan to visit Tamale when feasible to work on a compilation of simpa for international release. Special thanks as well to Dave Ewenson who recorded “Kakpag-Yili Wait and See” and shared some insights into neo-traditional simpa with me.

Tracks are from Dickson Gawan, Bala Zaaku, Alhassan Kukoo Naa, Sala Takoro and Sumaya Yaanara and all of these tracks are produced by either Ebony or Dj Chare/Charlie. Many of these can be found with accompanying videos on youtube

Image in artwork is from video by Dave Ewenson

Island Time Radio  Mix 39 With Modrums (Simpa Special)

Back again with more disco-adjacent conundrums from the Caribbean, West Africa, South Africa, Brazil and beyond.
All vinyl mix ;)
"To live a disco life, you gotta be free!" -Jeff Josephs/Gramacks

Disco in the ‘70s and early ‘80s was more than a musical style, it was an aesthetic and cultural movement that influenced musicians, dancers, record producers and record labels around the world. Plenty of musicians used disco concepts and imagery without literally employing the musical tropes of disco, or fused certain elements with local musical styles to remain relevant or seek cross-over success. Also, New York DJs and dancers were open to, and to a large degree remain open to diverse sounds from Africa, the Caribbean, Europe and Latin America. Tunes like "Soul Makossa" were massively influential in the creation of what one might call disco. It’s not by chance that the labels Makossa, Rokel’s and Charlie’s Records made Disco-themed sleeves for their 12" dance singles.
All that said, this mix isn’t intended as a historical treatise, it’s simply a vinyl mix of great music pulled from the stacks, records released in the ‘70s and records released last year. I’ll make more. It's for fun!

Is This Disco? Vol. II

Here we are at a benchmark mix, number 50! So happy to have invited Philly based Full Moon Fool who went in on the cumbia here, with a couple other surprises snuck in too. Tracklist coming soon, comment in the meantime for IDs.

Island Time Radio: Mix 50 with Full Moon Fool

On this episode we welcome back beloved guest @analogdakarclub for an all Cameroonian affair. Here is his words on the mix:

A musical journey on Cameroonian soil is anything but a straight line. Like the roads of this immense and impenetrable country, we deviated, turned back, sometimes we got bogged down while digging in our vinyl records. We have re-discovered treasures of Bikutsi rhythms (traditional dance relating to the Beti ethnic group) and Makossa (an exclusive component of the Douala culture), arranged in soukous sauce, with more bass and brass, West Indian influences (Jacob Desvarieux was
there) and funky (props goes to Aladji Touré the so intense bass player) marrying the rhythms of Mangembeu (It's a traditional Bamileke dance). Cameroon is a musical continent to which this mixpays tribute by touching on its incredible musical richness.

Track list

Nkotti François and the Black Style 77 - Ndola Njoba Bodi Mba Da Monjo Na Mbundo
Javis & les Idoles - Mading Wa Abui
Marc Nkodo David - Za’ A Yann Ai Ma
Nkodi Si Tony dit & Tony Frac - Papa Comavic
Bekono Roger - Ça m’a brulé
Alo Javis - Satan Eding
Ebongue Bile - Esuwa Na Nuemba
Johnny Tezano - Major X
Pierre Didy Tchakounté - Massa Jean est Capable
Moni Bile - Bijou
Bella Njoh - Essimo Essimo

Island Time Radio: Mix 51 - Cameroon Craze with Analog Dakar Club

Here is our latest episode, a nice welcome to the very beginning of Spring here in Philly - a mix from Brooklyn-based @djstiif , bringing us a sun filled selection of Brazilian mpb and samba, along with a few Cape Verdean selections sprinkled through, to help usher the flowers into their gentle blooming. 

Tracklist:

Sessa- Grandeza
Bebeto - Neguinho Poeta
Juca Chaves - Take Me Back to Piaui
Jorge Ben Jor - O Telefone Tocou Novamente
Ed Lincoln - Um Samba Gostoso
Baby Do Brasil - Curumim Chama Cunhata Que Eu Vou Contar
Claudia - Com Mais de 30
Joao Bosco - Nivel De
Maria de Barros - Nos Paraiso
Milton Banana Trio - Cidade Vazia
Rosa Maria - Samba Maniero
Novos Baianas - A Menina Danca
Jorge Ben - Lady Benedicta
Helio Matheus - Eu, Réu, Me Condeno
Gilberto Gil - Palco
Abel Lima - Corre Riba Corre Baxo
Aramis De Lara - Piranha
Os Tincoãs - Cordeiro De Nanã
Noriel Vilela - 16 Toneladas (Sixteen Tons)

Island Time Radio: Mix 52 with DJ Steef

Last two hours of a recent five hour set at Ace Hotel. From rara-house to rara-disco to rara-jazz, latin funk to latin house to latin jazz... with lots of other goodies along the way ;) not perfect but hey I was having fun and taking risks, what else is life about?

Ace Hotel 3.31.22

Our latest brings a second installment from Buenos Aires based DJ @nachete8 . Here he goes deep into the bag with an all vinyl set, bouncing back and forth between the boogie scenes of Brazil and Japan with a couple other surprises sprinkled in. A highly danceable soundtrack for a sunny day, Enjoy!

Island Time Radio: Mix 53 with Nachete

A mix centered around the sound of 90s/early 00s era Funaná from Cabo Verde. Intertwined with Soukous from Guinea-Bissau and a bit of Kuduro fusion from Angola, this hour is a fast paced journey around Lusophone Africa built to make you dance, enjoy!

Tracklist

Pilon - S'ta Contente
Camilo Domingos - Dinheiro
Chacha di Charmi - Sabichona
Djau & Fa Star - Moreninhas
Chandinho Dede - Funaná Cu Duro
Jacqueline Fortes - Coopéranti
Elida Almeida - Amigu
Pulonga'l Bita - Tchotchi
Varela Monteiro Bodinho - Tarrafal
Jorge Neto - Bitcho Ferado
Bela - Sima Na Moda
Jakeliny - Txupa Dedu
Netos de Cabral - Nha Intençao (feat. Paulo Tavares)
Sandrinha - Kusa Sta Mudado
Tota Lopi - Catchor Ta Micha So Ku 1 Pe

Island Time Radio: Mix 54 - Funaná Special

A hot set from an epic night with dj tres dos, modrums and mixtiii at the controls.
Max Rambhodjan - Tou't Jou Pa Min'm
Irmãos Almeida - Ngapa (modrums edit)
Juan Luis Guerra - Vale La Pena (Toribio Edit)
Ebo Taylor - Mumudey Mumudey - Nick the Record Remix
El Houssine Taouse - ?
DZgot - Bout Konpa (Branko Edit)

a hot minute - modrums @ Zona Libre @ Black Flamingo 5.19.23

Is This Disco? No, mostly not. Stylistically, this mix is konpa, makossa, soca, Afro-funk, electro…and some boogie and disco too. Anyway it's all great music that would fit right in at a disco night anywhere in the world, any time in the past half century, but especially New York City. All vinyl btw but also who cares ;)
Mix first aired on Stewart Avenue radio 4/29/2019

"To live a disco life, you gotta be free!" -Jeff Josephs/Gramacks

Disco in the ‘70s and early ‘80s was more than a musical style, it was an aesthetic and cultural movement that influenced musicians, dancers, record producers and record labels around the world. Plenty of musicians used disco concepts and imagery without literally employing the musical tropes of disco, or fused certain elements with local musical styles to remain relevant or seek cross-over success. Also, New York DJs and dancers were open to, and to a large degree remain open to diverse sounds from Africa, the Caribbean, Europe and Latin America. Tunes like "Soul Makossa" were massively influential in the creation of what one might call disco. It’s not by chance that the labels Makossa, Rokel’s and Charlie’s Records (featured in the silly meme image) made Disco-themed sleeves for their 12’ dance singles. 
All that said, this mix isn’t intended as a historical treatise, it’s simply a vinyl mix of great music pulled from the stacks, records released in the ‘70s and records released last year. I’ll make more. It's for fun!

Is This Disco? Vol.1

How did I get here? Is this a real house part or is this just my imagination? The DJ is playing some kinda '90s remix soca, some of these songs are about racism, some of them are about partying. I don't know, maybe it will make sense later.

The Path (excerpt) - Ralph MacDonald
Crucial Decision ('92 version)- Brother Resistance
Invisible Man - Osha
Push - Pappa
Bye Bye Stembi -Bhundu Boys
Menéalo - Fransheska
If You Vex No Sex (Sexiness)- Superblue
Indaba Kabani - Kamazu
Backyard Jam - Trevor Walker
Lootala - Sunny Man
Doye Doye (Version)- Wayne T/Silky Slim
The Blue (The Mass Camp Mix)- The Supreme Team
Groove Master (Acid Soca House Dub)-Arrow
O' La Soca (Afro Soca Acid Dub)- Arrow
Abu Baka (Part II)- Leston Paul And The New York Connection
They Can't Stop It (Kenny Dope Main Mix)-Kenny Dope
Papa Loko (Jephté's Extended Loko Vokal)- Jephté Guillaume ft. Erol Josué

What Kinda House Party Is This? Part 2

Island Time Radio is a community project from Alex Coppola @xela-music plus guests. A monthly mix series exploring African, Latin, Caribbean, off-the-grid 
international and underground music.

Open-World streaming every 2nd Saturday of the month, 3-4PM EST on @great-circles