Les Patrons and zouglou

Les Patrons have been attacking Abidjan’s clubs and airwaves with a slew of infectious zouglou hits. Atito, Triste Destin, Conseils all display the Patrons’ mixture of traditional rhythms with hip hop and R & B aesthetics. Familiar sounds for anyone who’s spent more than 5 minutes in Côte d’Ivoire in recent years.

Zouglou came about in the 1980s, it first evolved around student protests and has become a social voice, much like hip hop, it’s american cousin.  It is usually sang in nouchi, the Ivorian French slang spoken in Abidjan. With coupé décalé, zouglou has become one of the dominant styles in Ivory Coast. And you’ may have already heard this huge zouglou hit:

Alassane Sy – Ngatamaré

Alassane Sy had an office career until recently, when he decided to go back to his true passion: music. On our first release, Akwaaba wo Africa, we’re featuring one of Alassane’s most bautiful songs, Ngatamaré, which means rain in wolof, Senegal’s dominant language. More generally ngatamaré is synonymous with abundance, and in the song the word refers to Maimouna Sow, a woman who fills her home and friends with her abundance of care and respect.

Alassane Sy - Akwaaba Wo Africa

About Michel Pinheiro

[:en]Michel was born in southern Bénin, where he started singing at a very early age. After playing the guitar for local bands, he got his first break when he met Mamadou Doumbia during a trip to Côte d’Ivoire. There he learned to play the trombone and started playing for many local musicians. Today he plays for Tiken Jah Fakoly, one of Africa’s biggest stars today, but also released his own salsa albums, including “Agoh” which will be released worldwide on Akwaaba.

[:fr]Michel est né au sud du Bénin et débute très jeune le chant. Après avoir joué de la guitare pour des groupes locaux, il vit sa première rupture lorsqu’il rencontre Mamadou Doumbia lors d’un voyage en Côte d’Ivoire. Là, il apprend à jouer du trombone et commence à jouer pour de nombreux artistes locaux. Il joue aujourd’hui pour Tiken Jah Fakoly, une des plus grande star africaine contemporaine, mais a également sorti son propre album de salsa, intitulé “Agoh”, qui va être diffusé mondialement par Akwaaba.

[:de]Michel was born in southern Bénin, where he started singing at a very early age. After playing the guitar for local bands, he got his first break when he met Mamadou Doumbia during a trip to Côte d’Ivoire. There he learned to play the trombone and started playing for many local musicians. Today he plays for Tiken Jah Fakoly, one of Africa’s biggest stars today, but also released his own salsa albums, including “Agoh” which will be released worldwide on Akwaaba.

[:]