ALBUM REVIEW – VARIOUS ARTISTS: ROOTS ROCKING ZIMBABWE – THE MODERN SOUND OF HARARE TOWNSHIPS 1975-1980

Like many other people of my generation, hearing bands from Zimbabwe, especially The Bhundu Boys, on John Peel’s radio shows in the 1980s was a revelation. It served as an introduction to music from around the world distinct from the Anglo-American diet that ruled the airwaves. The joyful guitars and rhythms were a marked contrast […]
Gnonnas Pedro and His Dadjes Band sometimes became known as ‘The Band That Speaks All African Languages’ for their ability to sing in Fon, Mina, Yoruba, French, English and Spanish. Combined with their masterful blend of Agbadja, Cuban fon, jerk, highlife, and other African rhythms, it gives the sixteen tracks on the latest release from […]

ALBUM REVIEW – GNONNAS PEDRO & HIS DADJES BAND: ROI DE ‘LAGBADJA MODERNE 1974-1983

ALBUM REVIEW – VARIOUS ARTISTS: SUPER DISCO PIRATA – DE TAPITO PARA EL MUNDO 1965-1980

The latest release from Analog Africa grapples with a quandary. How can the owner of an independent record label create a project celebrating piracy, normally seen as a curse robbing artists and labels of sales and therefore income? However, in addition to providing an intriguing piece of social history through its accompanying informative booklet, that […]
‘Sportswashing’ may be a new term but examples can be seen well before the attempts made by Saudi Arabia and Qatar to cleanse their global reputation through engagement with top quality entertainment. In 1974, the country then named Zaire staged a World Heavyweight championship fight between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman known as the Rumble […]

ALBUM REVIEW – VARIOUS: CONGO FUNK! SOUND MADNESS FROM THE SHORES OF THE MIGHTY CONGO RIVER (KINSHASA/BRAZZAVILLE 1969-1982)

ALBUM REVIEW – ARY LOBO: ARY LOBO 1958-1966

For its latest release, Analog Africa travels to South America for a compilation of songs performed by Ary Lobo, a singer of Afro-Brazilian heritage. Hailing from the northeast of Brazil, Lobo encountered the biases of a southern based industry. On his first audition, he was so exhausted from the journey that he was too frail […]
The best music can banish even the weariest mood. That has certainly been true for this album from Leon Keita, the latest release from Analog Africa, a German-based label that over the past 16 years has been devoted to excavating some of the finest music from the African continent made during the period from the […]

ALBUM REVIEW – LEON KEITA: LEON KEITA