We may not have made it very clear on the site, but if you’ve followed us closely enough, you may have noticed references to the move to Accra, Ghana. Well it is now in process, as our head dood Benjamin Lebrave just landed there, and is looking to set up shop in the very enjoyable Ghanaian capital. So expect a lot more of everything in the coming months, more movement on the site, more music, more collaborations… Chale move!

You can always trust DJ Zhao to deliver an intense blend of fine sounds from all over the world. He did an incredible job with his Chop Chop Supermix for us, and he’s back again with this amazing 2 hour set – yes, 2 hours – of transatlantic rumba bliss. With a heavy emphasis on Congolese rumba and soukous, some of our very favorite music. Make sure you check out his great blog Different Waters.

In Zhao’s own words:

“following the musical diaspora from Africa to the Caribbean and back again, the story of Rumba is one of the central narratives of modern music. This edition of Radio Ngoma explores amazing sounds from places like the Congo and Nigeria to Haiti, Guadalupe, Colombia — Soukous, Afro-Funk, Tropical Disco, Cumbia — timeless rhythms to warm the heart and move the feet.”

Tracklist:

01 Intro / Mulatu Astatke – Mulatu’s Hideway
02 Issa Juma – Ateka
03 M’pongo Love – Basonguer
04 Syran Mbenza – Adjoa Sawale Mbanda Kazaka
05 Bozi Boziana & Jolly Detta – La Reine de Sabah
06 Charlotte Mbango – Dikom Lam La Moto
07 Kanda Bongo Man – Zing Zong
08 Coupé Cloué – Bel Ti Ange
09 Les Kilimambogo – Sarah Ngungembeti
10 Kakai Kilonzo & Les Kilimambogo – Ngungu Na Muoi
11 Orchestre D.O.7 & Shirati Jazz Giko Piny – Nyiego Thiro Oganda
12 Makasi – La Vie Ya Lelo
13 Makasi – Mbati
14 Sofrito & Tropical Treats – Rift Valley Groove
15 Moussa Doumbia – Keleya
16 Manu Dibango – Souk Fiesta
17 Kabbala – Ashewo Ara
18 Shina Williams & His Arican Percussionists – Agboju Logun
19 Sofrito Specials – Tabou For the People (feat. I. Barrabas)
20 Fair Nick Stars- Arrete Mal Parlé
21 Ti Celeste – Popilation Basse Terrienne Au Abois
22 Frente – Cumbiero Pitchito
23 Corraleros Del Majagual – El Ascensor
24 Corraleros De Majagual – Los Sabanales
25 Los Golden Boys – El Elevao
26 Afrosound – El Eco Y El Carretero
27 Camille Feruz – Cha Cha Cha Bay
28 Los De Abajo – El Indio (Macaco Rmx)
29 Tiken Jah Fakoly – Ma Cote d’Ivoire

It’s out! Cop it first from us in our bandcamp shop. More info in our previous post. And here’s what Diplo does with it:

We’ve received a few messages from remixers asking for a bit more time to finish their work. Based on what we’ve heard so far, we have no reason to want to stymie their talent, and our past remix contest have run on African time anyway… so you got yourself an extra couple of weeks to finish up, DEADLINE: MARCH 15. Meanwhile, here are some of the top submissions we received:

Ruff N Smooth – Azingele (Daniel Klauser remix) by klwzer
Ruff n Smooth – Azingele (BitRedux Remix) by BitRedux 2
Ruff-N-Smooth – Azingele (Dance Kill Move Remix) by dancekillmove

And even a dubstep remix… Azingele (th0r Ruff Remix) by th0rmusic

And of course the original track and downloadable acapella:
Azingele Remix Contest by Akwaaba Music

Last Fall in Berlin, Akwaaba Music’ Benjamin Lebrave moderated a panel for All2GetherNow / PopKomm in Berlin. The panel looked into the specifics and opportunities in the business of music, in Africa. Joining him were Penya Africa‘s director and head producer Robert “Wawesh” Wawero. Based in Nairobi, Robert is responsible for albums by Kenyan heavyweights such as Sauti Sol, Muthoni the Drummer Queen, Dela and of course Just A Band. Also on the panel was Cynthia Torto, head of events and sponsorships at Vodafone Ghana.

Last week, Benjamin Lebrave connected with DJ Rupture for his weekly show on New York’s WFMU. If you don’t know about Rupture… well, now’s a good time to learn more about the hyper active producer / journalist. The two had connected last fall in Tilburg for Generation Bass‘ Incubate event. Fast forward a few months, and there was still plenty to share about what we’ve been up to, and what we’re cooking up with our imminent move to Accra, Ghana. Listen below, and/or subscribe to the podcast to download the full show.

Our good friends the Crowkrushers strike again with another bad arse mix, this time for our other doods the Bomb Diggy crew out of Amsterdam. They pieced together a pretty fantastic mix spanning the gamut from dancehall to hiplife to a lot of stuff we’re not sure what to call!!! Listen and download it here:

Featuring two of our favorite Akwaaba cuts, One Gallon by Bradez – one of the main reasons why we started this whole Akwaaba thing. And Mona Lisa by Ghana superstars Ruff N Smooth. On a different note, remember the great Krush on Akwaaba mix they did for us? Also well worth checking out:

Ho Chi Fu strikes again! If he is not yet a household name in your brain, then go check out his youtube channel NOW. He has established himself as the number one music video director in Angola, a country with a booming music scene, more and more cash, hence more and more good looking videos. Spread this one around, it shows Angola – and even Africa – in a way too many would not ever expect. Elegom Bounsa – slang/broken portuguese for he’s a good dancer, ele e bom dançar. Get the track from iTunes or directly from us here:

Going Africa and Beyond… Ruff-N-Smooth’s moto seems particularly appropriate for this next Akwaaba remix contest: their song Azingele is the next big hit coming from this new Ghanaian powerduo, the video’s been out for a couple of days only, and it’s already generating serious buzz in Ghana. The track features SK Blinks, the go-to guy in Ghana for hooks and choruses in French. The aim with SK is also to reach an audience outside of Ghana, inside its neighboring Francophone countries. So it only makes sense to take this song even further, and put the acapella in the hands of beat makers all over the world. Grab the acapella from Soundcloud, do your thing, and send back your work of magic BEFORE FEBRUARY 28. Either use our dropbox or any file sharing service you wish, just make sure you tag your song!! In the past many, many remixes we received got lost in the shuffle due to very poor tagging, so when you send your remix:

- make sure you tag the song well enough: if we can’t see your remixer name anywhere, we’ll never know it’s yours.

- make sure we can DOWNLOAD the song. Seems pretty obvious, but it’s apparently not. We’re always on the move, and most likely will not listen to your remix online. Possibly in a trotro or an airplane. So please make it easy on us and let us download it and take it where we need to.

- please send us a message by email or on Soundcloud with your full contact info and a short bio. That’ll save a lot of time for all of us.

That’s it! Work it!!!

Hard to believe, but it was just over 2 years ago that our first release, Akwaaba wo Africa, came out worldwide. What a journey it’s been since then! 2 dozen releases spanning the gamut from Nigerian highlife to Gambian griot kora, Angolan kuduro to Benin salsa… We’ve had the pleasure of collaborating with artists from 12 countries, not counting the numerous remixes pouring in from Mexico, Israel, Argentina, all over Europe and North America.

For us this release is at heart a big thank you, Thank you for helping us carve out a niche on this overcrowded web. Thank you for helping us connect the dots between talented, hardly-known local artists and music lovers worldwide. Thank you for playing our music on your radio shows, for pushing it on your blogs, for playing it at work and letting the world know where the music is coming from. We have been overwhelmed with the response, the emails, big ups and shout outs, and we start the year with a huge smile, filled with all the energy required to keep tons of fresh music coming your way.

So here it is, a collection of 50 songs giving a thorough taste of what Akwaaba is about: an open ear tuned in to sound made in Africa. We priced this mega-compilation at a ridiculous minimum price of $10. I mean, in many ways the price tag seems ridiculous, but if you feel differently, hell, shoot us an email and let’s bargain some more You can buy this compilation from us directly only, secured credit card payment and all that good stuff. It will not be available on iTunes or anywhere else.

Along with the songs comes a fantastic mix by DJ Zhao. We asked him to do this mix for us because he is one of the very few DJs we know, who can piece together a mix not made exclusively for the dancefloor. So here goes one hour covering so many of the sounds we have been pushing. Really, an epic journey into the heart of contemporary African pop music.