Michel Pinheiro – SOS Enfants Soldats
About Baba Salah
Baba is a Malian from Gao in northern Mali. Songhai music is often linked with American blues, with its slower tempo and pentatonic scales, and with artists such as Ali Farka Touré blurring the line. Baba Salah is one of the most successful singers at home, yet he...
Griot tradition today
A griot - or jeli - is a storyteller, poet and musician in West African society. Its traditions are inherited from father to son, and some griots can trace their history back centuries. Rather than paraphrase, listen to Toumani Diabaté explain it himself:
LIB Queen – Pretty Woman
Ahmed Fofana and Metis Mandingue live in Bamako
About 2 minutes into the video, you'll recognize the melody from Ahmed's song Baro, featured on Akwaaba wo Africa. Ahmed grew up in the griot tradition of poetry and music. A talented multi-instrumentist, he has played the flute, balafon (African xylophone), kora and...
Meeting LIB Queen at Hush Hush Studios
ABK and Oumar took me back to Hush Hush Studios, where I met the owner, Daniel, and LIB Queen, one of Liberia's top acts. She's played for a UN concert, for Liberia's first female president, and a number of other shows in Liberia as well as in Ghana where she now...
Getting a hold of Les Patrons
It was tough! Charlie Parker is Les Patrons' manager, and he's a busy man. We eventually found time to meet and share ideas. We agreed to work les Patrons' 2 first albums through Akwaaba! Les Patrons are insanely huge in Abidjan, you hear their music at all the...
Meeting with DJ Menza and Kedjevara!
Today I met with Ivorian stars DJ Menza and Kedjevara, what a trip. Menza flaunted a skin tight white outfit, Kedjevara was slightly more subtle, and both were down with Akwaaba, so we'll be releasing some of their coupé décalé hits for the rest of the world to enjoy...
Rue Princesse!
It's Friday night, Abidjan is steaming, and we're headed to the Rue Princesse. Numerous 'maquis' (outdoor bars) line up one of West Africa's most notorious party spots. The place is booming with coupé décalé and zouglou beats, the voices of Kedjevara, Menza, Les...
From Freetown to your ears
I had a chat with Lloyd today, half of Sierra Leonian duo Eden Roots lIberation. We chat about music and how he became a musician. Here are some of his words: "From the very begining, I loved music, in particular reggae music. I was also living with musicians. When I...
Jahman Eselem
Lloyd from Eden Roots Liberation introduced me to his friend Jahman, who was born in Cameroun but now resides in Bamako, Mali. He's a reggae singer, with one album out in Mali. "Waiting for the News". All songs - half of them dub versions - are written by Jahman,...
Toumani Diabaté
Through Amsatou and her boss Igo, I was put in touch with one Mali's most famous kora player, Mr Toumani Diabaté himself! He has record contracts in place and a serious career touring the world, but was happy to hear we're in touch with his balafon player, Ahmed...
Eden Roots Liberation
Through Bamako's French Cultural Center I met Lloyd Tommy, half of Eden Roots Liberation. He and his partner Patrick Kousi are originally from Sierra Leone, the met in Freetown in 1990 through Massive Roots Band, a local reggae group. They started touring West Africa...
Hearing Alou in Bamako
I met with Alou Sangaré yesterday, we had a chat at a bar close to where I'm staying, by the route de Koulikoro. He's a native of Koutiala, east of Bamako near the Burkinabé border. He is the son of Madou Guitare, an influential member of several 70s Malian...
The CCF points to cool stuff
Contacts at the Centre Culturel Français (French Cultural Center) of Bamako pointed me in the direction of young musicians experimenting with traditional sounds and new music styles. I met Chanana, leader of Diata Sya, who's first album is both creative and diverse,...
Rahmane Diallo – Sira
Sira is one of the very first songs I heard when I arrived in Dakar, and it's still one of my absolute favorites. It is the story of a griot friend of Rahmane's, who falls in love with this girl, Sira, who comes from a noble family. Her family initially refuses to let...
Alassane Sy
Today Alassane stopped by Badou's place in Fann, where I've been staying the last few nights. He's a native of Tivaouane, near Thiès in Senegal. He's been singing back-up vocals for numerous Senegalese artists, singing in both Wolof and Pular, and is now releasing his...
Meeting Rahmane Diallo in Dakar
The other day Michael Soumah gave me a stack of CDs, among them a demo by Rahmane Diallo. Wow! His voice is somewhat reminiscent of Baaba Maal's, but the beauty of his songs is all his. One song, Sira, actually gives me goosebumps. Luckily Michael hooked it all up and...
02/14-16: Akwaaba in Tahiti
Iaorana! Morrison's Cafe in Tahiti flew BBRAVE down for a few gigs! Valentine's day starter on Thursday February 14, then all-night sweaty dancefloor action, with a hefty portion of hiplife and coupé décalé, plus all kinds of electronic, African, Brazilian and Latin...
Okyeame Quophi and his crew
Quophi has agreed to work with Akwaaba to further spread his music around the world. He also mentioned Akwaaba to his longtime partner Okyeame Kwame, with whom they record under the name Akyeame. He also hooked up Bradaz, Kwame's new hiplife proteges, who's song One...
Top Radio
ABK took me to Accra's Top Radio, where I met Prof, a scholar and radio host, who's been talking about Akwaaba on the air and getting feedback froma number of artists. Today I met with gospel singer Madam Peace, rapper Nyansapo, and hiplife singer Ntakra, and they are...
Hush Hush!
ABK took me to Hush Hush today, one of Accra's most famous recording studios. There I met King Sirus, an in-demand arranger for numerous hiplife artists. My head is still spinning from all the artists I met and tracks I heard... Some of the highlights include Sherifa...
Hot Ghanaian Nuggets!
Ghana was once known as the Gold Coast, and it's still full of sonic nuggets, many of which were shared with Akwaaba this week! I've been on a journey for a few days now with ABK and Prof, they've taken me all over Accra to meet with artists and producers in their...
Nightlife in Accra
It's almost my last night here in Accra, and my local contact ABK is taking me to Osu to witness some bigger scale chop bar dancing action. I've been enjoying my nightly stops at Strawberry, right by my hotel in Adabraka. Strawberry is a small outdoor bar serving all...
First steps in Ghana
I landed in Accra last night, arrived at my hotel without noticing that right across the street is a radio station! I just met with Quophi, a radio host and hiplife producer. We chat about music, I told him about Akwaaba, and he played a few dancefloor bangers for...