in and out is about all those times of finding yourself in between the 'here', the 'there' and the 'nowhere' while trusting you will eventually find your way and the peace within. The visuals depict that very state of mind and lure you into that special space. Take a...
Follow up to Abidjan-based Cameroonian DJ and creative director Jeune Lio, here's the lyrics video to his debut single My Love featuring Magasco. Video animation was done by Ozaki & Tiemo. RELATED Follow up to Abidjan-based Cameroonian DJ and...
Music on the Road was shot by Daniel Kwabena Marmo of The 3 Suns. According to Solid K, " The video tries to capture how I feel about music, it depicts how hard it is to explain with words. It shows what a surreal feeling it brings to me. As can be seen, I walk...
in and out is about all those times of finding yourself in between the 'here', the 'there' and the 'nowhere' while trusting you will eventually find your way and the peace within. The visuals depict that very state of mind and lure you into that special space. Take a...
Follow up to Abidjan-based Cameroonian DJ and creative director Jeune Lio, here's the lyrics video to his debut single My Love featuring Magasco. Video animation was done by Ozaki & Tiemo. RELATED Follow up to Abidjan-based Cameroonian DJ and...
Music on the Road was shot by Daniel Kwabena Marmo of The 3 Suns. According to Solid K, " The video tries to capture how I feel about music, it depicts how hard it is to explain with words. It shows what a surreal feeling it brings to me. As can be seen, I walk...
It all started one year ago, Akwaaba head dood Benjamin Lebrave met up with the Perfect Loosers in their studio right outside of Paris. He came with a mountain of songs by Ahmed Fofana, Baba Salah and Onyenze. Treasures he’d accumulated on his travels to West Africa. And he met an enthusiastic trio: Waly had been fed Tunisian music since birth, Mast grew up listening to his Congolese step dad’s addictive soukous jams. He also ripped walls with Sigisbert Tartanpion, his head filled with the Caribbean sounds of his parents.
At the time, the Perfect Loosers had already made a remix for Angolan kuduro artist Ze Bula, but clearly they were hungry for much more. And it really didn’t take much for this impromptu meeting to give birth to yet another project in the Akwaaba constellation. With such a diverse musical background, connections in the international DJ and club circuit, and the skills to create dancefloor killers and the artwork to go with it, the trio agreed to go a few steps beyond remixing, and piece together a full length compilation where Africa would meet the club.
The concept is to let artists and producers from around the world rethink handpicked, eclectic West African songs. With one rule: staying away from bland, uninspired “world music remixed” releases. Instead tapping into a bubbling scene of up and coming artists, not only receptive but more importantly inspired by music from Africa.
The stems were a mess, the artists had jam-packed schedules of projects, yet month after month, the album took shape. The result is a diverse blend of club aesthetics and African tradition. Not some trendy, artificial music: it is the sum of creations by original artists with deep musical roots. Artists from Europe and North America – as usual, but also from Africa itself, Latin America and the Middle East. Pushing Akwaaba’s mission further in connecting the dots between artists and music lovers around the world.[:fr]
Tout a commencé il y a un an lorsque le boss d’Akwaaba Benjamin Lebrave a rencontré les Perfect Loosers dans leur studio à côté de Paris. Il est arrivé avec une montagne de sons d’Ahmed Fofana, Baba Salah et Onyenze, des trésors qu’il a accumulés au cours de ses voyages en Afrique de l’Ouest. Et il a rencontré un trio enthousiaste : Waly est nourri à la musique tunisienne depuis son enfance, Mast a grandi en écoutant les hits soukous addictifs de son beau-père congolais. Il a également réussi à surmonter les barrières potentielles avec un Sigisbert Tartanpion à la tête pleine des sons caribéens de ses parents.
À l’époque, les Perfect Loosers avaient déjà réalisé un remix pour l’artiste de kuduro angolais Ze Bula, mais ils voulaient clairement aller plus loin. Ça ne prit doncpas beaucoup de temps pour que de cette rencontre impromptue naisse un autre projet dans la constellation Akwaaba. Avec un tel héritage musical, les connections avec des DJ internationaux et des réseaux de clubs, les compétences pour produire des sons ultra-efficaces en soirées, et l’artwork qui va avec, le trio a consenti à pousser plus loin qu’un simple remix, à composer une compilation long format où l’Afrique rencontre le club.
Le concept était de laisser les artistes et les producteurs du monde entier repenser des titres éclectiques et choisis d’Afrique de l’Ouest. Avec une règle : se tenir à bonne distance des sorties de “world music remixée” sans saveur et inspiration. Au contraire, s’immerger dans la scène bouillonnante des artistes montants qui sont non seulement réceptifs mais aussi inspirés par la musique d’Afrique.
Le début a été un sacré bordel, les artistes avaient des valises pleines de projets, mais les mois passant, l’album a pris forme. Le résultat est un mélange divers de tradition africaine et d’esthétique club. Pas de musique en vogue et artificielle mais la somme des créations d’artistes originaux avec des racines musicales profondes. Des artistes d’Europe et d’Amérique du Nord – comme d’habitude – mais aussi d’Afrique, d’Amérique Latine et du Moyen Orient, poussant plus avant encore la mission Akwaaba : connecter les artistes et les amoureux de musique du monde entier.[:de]
It all started one year ago, Akwaaba head dood Benjamin Lebrave met up with the Perfect Loosers in their studio right outside of Paris. He came with a mountain of songs by Ahmed Fofana, Baba Salah and Onyenze. Treasures he’d accumulated on his travels to West Africa. And he met an enthusiastic trio: Waly had been fed Tunisian music since birth, Mast grew up listening to his Congolese step dad’s addictive soukous jams. He also ripped walls with Sigisbert Tartanpion, his head filled with the Caribbean sounds of his parents.
At the time, the Perfect Loosers had already made a remix for Angolan kuduro artist Ze Bula, but clearly they were hungry for much more. And it really didn’t take much for this impromptu meeting to give birth to yet another project in the Akwaaba constellation. With such a diverse musical background, connections in the international DJ and club circuit, and the skills to create dancefloor killers and the artwork to go with it, the trio agreed to go a few steps beyond remixing, and piece together a full length compilation where Africa would meet the club.
The concept is to let artists and producers from around the world rethink handpicked, eclectic West African songs. With one rule: staying away from bland, uninspired “world music remixed” releases. Instead tapping into a bubbling scene of up and coming artists, not only receptive but more importantly inspired by music from Africa.
The stems were a mess, the artists had jam-packed schedules of projects, yet month after month, the album took shape. The result is a diverse blend of club aesthetics and African tradition. Not some trendy, artificial music: it is the sum of creations by original artists with deep musical roots. Artists from Europe and North America – as usual, but also from Africa itself, Latin America and the Middle East. Pushing Akwaaba’s mission further in connecting the dots between artists and music lovers around the world.
[:]
Music is our business…
Throughout the months of October and November this year, the international workshop program “Buzz Meets Biz” is taking place in Germany, Spain, and Ghana, bringing together young music professionals from the mentioned nations plus the UK. Not only active artists but also promoters, bloggers, label owners, and other professionals in the musical field are involved, covering all kinds of modern genres. Through networking, sharing knowledge and experiences, and participating in educative workshops, these young creatives will be inspired and taught to take confident and smart steps in the tough world of show biz.
PART 3 – ACCRA, GHANA
November 18 – 30, 2017
The third and last part of the mobility program will take place here in Accra. Complementing the two past workshop series on the economic issues of music, this session will focus on music itself. Creativity process, production, performance and an insight into the Ghanaian music scene will all contribute to the grand finale of this international project.
in and out is about all those times of finding yourself in between the 'here', the 'there' and the 'nowhere' while trusting you will eventually find your way and the peace within. The visuals depict that very state of mind and lure you into that special space. Take a...
Follow up to Abidjan-based Cameroonian DJ and creative director Jeune Lio, here's the lyrics video to his debut single My Love featuring Magasco. Video animation was done by Ozaki & Tiemo. RELATED Follow up to Abidjan-based Cameroonian DJ and...
Music on the Road was shot by Daniel Kwabena Marmo of The 3 Suns. According to Solid K, " The video tries to capture how I feel about music, it depicts how hard it is to explain with words. It shows what a surreal feeling it brings to me. As can be seen, I walk...
Perfect Loosers Megamix!
Music is our business…
Throughout the months of October and November this year, the international workshop program “Buzz Meets Biz” is taking place in Germany, Spain, and Ghana, bringing together young music professionals from the mentioned nations plus the UK. Not only active artists but also promoters, bloggers, label owners, and other professionals in the musical field are involved, covering all kinds of modern genres. Through networking, sharing knowledge and experiences, and participating in educative workshops, these young creatives will be inspired and taught to take confident and smart steps in the tough world of show biz.
PART 3 – ACCRA, GHANA
November 18 – 30, 2017
The third and last part of the mobility program will take place here in Accra. Complementing the two past workshop series on the economic issues of music, this session will focus on music itself. Creativity process, production, performance and an insight into the Ghanaian music scene will all contribute to the grand finale of this international project.
in and out is about all those times of finding yourself in between the 'here', the 'there' and the 'nowhere' while trusting you will eventually find your way and the peace within. The visuals depict that very state of mind and lure you into that special space. Take a...
Follow up to Abidjan-based Cameroonian DJ and creative director Jeune Lio, here's the lyrics video to his debut single My Love featuring Magasco. Video animation was done by Ozaki & Tiemo. RELATED Follow up to Abidjan-based Cameroonian DJ and...
Music on the Road was shot by Daniel Kwabena Marmo of The 3 Suns. According to Solid K, " The video tries to capture how I feel about music, it depicts how hard it is to explain with words. It shows what a surreal feeling it brings to me. As can be seen, I walk...
Music is our business…