In this latest episode, we bring some Akwaaba goodness to India, courtesy of the Matchbox Collective. Get all relevant info for the event right here! As the crew puts in on their Facebook page:
“Matchbox Collective serves electro, new funk, baile funk, kuduro, j-pop & j-hip hop, minimal, dubstep, 2step, gorestep, disco, cumbia, merengue, salsa duro, uk funky,grim, abstract hip hop, rare french grooves, jazzy beats a lot of mash ups and whatever we stumble upon.”
We can’t wait to throw some African goodness on the Delhi crowd!!
For almost 2 years now, we’ve been building a diverse roster of contemporary artists from all over Africa. From Malian traditional music to kuduro, highlife to salsa, Akwaaba has been covering much ground, yet one important piece has been missing: Congolese soukous. Perhaps the most significant genre across the entire continent during the 1970s and 1980s, and a style particularly dear to our ears. We’re in the process of fixing this, with an imminent release from Zaiko Langa Langa, soukous pioneers still touring to this day. But before that, bbrave serves us this here pungent mix of Congolese classics.
The story goes like this: our friends over at Dublab asked bbrave to do a mix for them. Rather than stick to club territory, why not use Dublab’s incredibly diverse platform to indulge into something more personal? And less obvious? So we bring to you this mix. Not afrofunk, this is pure soukous: raunchy snares, melodic guitars, and frenzy tempos. The whole of Africa has danced to this, are you ready for it?
Sam Mangwana – Georgette Eckins
Prince Luciano Kimpouni et les Kamba Kamba – Mbuale
Heyyyo! Remember these cats? Yep, same doods we rocked Mancuso with last September in Tübingen! What a warm welcome… these cats are not only fantastic party DJs, who know how to appreciate a good African groove in their sets, they are also ideal hosts to a wonderful – yet not soooo famous – German city. To all you wannabe Afrocentric DJs: be ncie to these guys, and try to get your arses to Tübingen asap, their party is well worth playing. Or just attending! Check out their Facebook page. Oh and better, yet, check out this fabulous set they pieced together for us:
How did this happen?!?! In their own words:
“So this is our exclusive mix for Akwaaba Music. It‘s not so much all new and exclusive bangers but rather our impression of African music and its big influences on other musical territories (with one or two stylistic exceptions in the mix). We also kinda tried to give an idea of what we do in our club sets, not paying too much attention to tempo or style while keeping it funky and a wee bit humorous… Featuring Akwaaba artists Appietus, Ruff‘n‘Smooth, Kedjevara, Onyenze, Killamu, Dred Man-Gi and Arc Djebe. Hope you enjoy!”
Uhhhhhh… yep, we do. Right?!?! Have you downloaded this mix already?!?! Have you listen to their Mixcloud page? How about their myspace?! Wait, and more importantly, if you’re in or near Tübingen, are you attending their party this Saturday November 13?!?!
On October 7 2010, Arte‘s flagship music program Tracks did a piece about Sound Hunters. This is the first half of the piece, focused on Akwaaba Music and label boss Benjamin Lebrave. Thanks to Arte for letting us post!
GH LOVE by Akwaaba Music A taste of the sounds we heard in Ghana, the sounds you’d hear if you were there now, and quite a few sounds we’re releasing here on Akwaaba. Chale sink in, this is music for everyone!!!! Tracklist:
01 – NANA BOROO – EHA YE DE (UNRELEASED, AKWAABA MUSIC)
02 – KPATONSI – ABOCHI ANGO
03 – KOFI NTI & OFORI AMPONSAH – RAKIA (iTunes)
04 – MIKE MENTOR (UNRELEASED, AKWAABA MUSIC)
05 – OLD SODJA – CASH’N’CARRY REMIX FEAT AGYA BOMOFOUR (UNRELEASED, AKWAABA MUSIC)
06 – MIKE MENTOR (UNRELEASED, AKWAABA MUSIC)
07 – KOFI NTI & OFORI AMPONSAH – WAKE UP REMIX (iTunes)
08 – APPIETUS – DOME NA MENDOWO FEAT CASTRO (AKWAABA MUSIC, Bandcamp, iTunes)
09 – RUFF’N’SMOOTH – SWAGGER FEAT STAY JAY (AKWAABA MUSIC, Bandcamp, iTunes)
10 – KK FOSU – NUMBER 1 FEAT D FLEX
11 – APPIETUS – SALA FEAT MOHAMED, D-FLEX & SCREW-FACE (AKWAABA MUSIC, Bandcamp, iTunes)
12 – APPIETUS – GHANA LADY FEAT MFRAMA (AKWAABA MUSIC, Bandcamp, iTunes)
13 – OFORI AMPONSAH – OTOOLEGE
14 – RUFF’N’SMOOTH – MONALISA (AKWAABA MUSIC, Bandcamp, iTunes)
15 – MIKE MENTOR – ONE MORE CHANCE (UNRELEASED, AKWAABA MUSIC)
16 – OLD SODJA- KAAKYERE FEAT TINNY, CASTRO & REGGIE ZIPPY (UNRELEASED, AKWAABA MUSIC)
17 – R2BEES – KISS UR HAND FEAT WANDE COAL (iTunes)
18 – VIP – AWAY (iTunes)
19 – APPIETUS – MISS DOCTOR FEAT 4X4 (AKWAABA MUSIC, Bandcamp, iTunes)
From Accra, Ghana, come one of the most influential duos of the year… Mr Ruff, and Mr Smooth! If you haven’t heard their hit Swagger, now is a good time to grab it – for free:
These doods are relative newcomers on Ghana’s airwaves, but they’re well surrounded… the album features beats by Accra heavyweights such as Richie, Kaywa, Playboi, Kill Beats + more. Ruff n Smooth have a few European and North American gigs in the works, so stay tuned for more, join our newsletter to make sure you get the info. We’re proud to release their full album today! You can buy it directly from Ruff n Smooth’s bandcamp page, or exclusively in iTunes.
