Loik - AfroTropik
A one hour-long, vinyl-only selection, with forgotten classics and nuggets to be (re)discovered. The mix starts with some Afrofunk (Antoinette Konan, Pat ‘Ndoye, Jean Guéhi); before diving down into the irresistible Cape Verdian pulse: groovy, psych, roots, pop, even nu disco; and closing in Haiti with Claudette & Ti Pierre’s sono mondiale anthem. Loik has been digging deep into his vinyl collection to carefully cook this podcast for heating up the coming long winter nights.
Loik - AfroTropik
(MP3 Podcast on www.ParisDJs.com) 2016-12-30
[comment faire?/how to?]
Tracklisting :
01. Antoinette Konan - M'Ackô
(from ‘Antoinette Konan’ album, 1986 / self-released) IVORY COAST
As you can see on her self-titled album cover artwork, Ivory Coast singer and musician Antoinette Konan plays the Ahoko, a traditional instrument producing a sound similar to the Guiro when the ball comes and goes on the stick. Extracted from her 1986 LP worth a few hundreds on the collectors market, "M’Ackô" is a great mid-tempo afro boogie synth stepper and a perfect opener for this mix.
02. Pat' Ndoye - Kal Ban Ndom
(from ‘Makossa 2000’ album, 1980 / Pat' Ndoye Production) CAMEROON
Pat' Ndoye started his career in 1980 with this "Makossa 2000" album, followed in 1981 by "Funky Revolution". On the b-side of this first album lays a superb mid-tempo Cameroon boogie tune, "Kal Ban Ndom", with exquisite, trippy keyboard lines.
03. Guéhi Jean - Pantalon Craqué
(from 'Pantalon Craqué’ album, 1980s / GD Productions) IVORY COAST
This tale of hard times hasn’t aged a bit: "pantalon craqué, chemise craquée, mocassins troués, voiture trouée… y’a pas d’argent, y’a pas de travail" (trousers split, shirt split, hole in shoes, hole in car… there’s no money, there’s no work). Backed by sessions man Denis Hekimian and what seems like a group of French Caribbean musicians, this LP has a heavy zouk/makossa feel with an irresistible groove on the title tune.
04. Kolá - Lameirão
(from ‘Guiné-Bissau’ album, 1979 / La Do Si Discos) CAPE VERDE
One of Cape Verde's first bands using amplifiers. Includes the original "Disisperu" (Dsusperu), also sung by Ildo Lobo/Tubarões. Kolá used a popular rhythm from the Santiago island (tabanka) providing their music with a heavy beat. The funky "Lameirão" is a madness-bringer to the dance floor but there are other cool tunes for tropical DJs on the album…
05. Paulino Viera - Grande Fogue
(from 'M'Cria Ser Poeta’ album, 1984 / Discos Monte Cara) CAPE VERDE
Paulino Viera is an essential figure of music from Cape Verde islands. He was an artistic director for Luis Morais, Bana, Voz de Cabo Verde, Titina, Teofilo Chantre, Tito Paris, Chico Serra, Dany Silva, Cesaria Ever, etc. Recorded at Angel Studio in Lisbon in 1984, Paulino plays all instruments on this album, and wrote/composed all songs, as well as arranged the music. It’s a fascinating record of strange synthed-out cosmic afro funk folk psych.
06. Cabo Verde Show - Nova Coladeira
(from 'Caminho De Esperança’ album, 1980 / Arsom) CAPE VERDE
Born in Dakar, Senegal from Cape Verde parents, Boy Gé Mendes (aka Gérard Mendes) launched in 1976 the Cabo Verde Show band in Joinville le Pont, near Paris — which some say it was the capital of world music for a while — with his brother Jean-Claude Mendes and some friends, Eça Monteiro, John Matias, Luis da Silva and Manu Lima. Their second album from 1980 goes into many directions, with some tracks tropical dancefloors-ready, such as this Coladeira ballroom dance tune.
07. Blyk - Belinha
(from 'Na Quel Dia Tão Lindo’ album, 1980 / Arsom) CAPE VERDE
Blyk Tchutchi met with the Túlipa Negra band in the late 1970s, together they recorded his first album "Na Quel Dia Tão Lindo“, published in 1980 and well known among the Cape Verdean people, followed by "Libra de Boca Mundo" in 1983, and "Na Paz de Deus" in 1986. Not among the most talented singers, Blyk was somehow able to magnetize the public with his insightful songs ("Ku furmiga ku tudu gosta", "Belinha" and "ka bu tchoman nha nomi") that echo the nostalgia and love for Cape Verde.
08. Cretcheu - Africanas Na Lisboa
(from 'Africanas Na Lisboa’ album, 1983 / Arsom) CAPE VERDE
If this is what pop music sounded like in the 1980s in Cape Verde, how come we had such shitty stuff over here in France? Was it just bad taste from the media or simple ignorance? Because this is another damn boiling record coming from the archipelago off the northwest coast of Africa, crazy rhythms on funaná tempos, with cadence, merengue and soukous influences. The title track (played here) is just irresistible, a worldwide-dancefloor-burner.
09. Os Tropicais - Nega Caliente
(from 'Os Tropicais’ album, 19XX / A Voz De Cabo-Verde) ANGOLA
10. Galáxia 2000 - Coração Dum Criola
(from 'Pêso De Sodade’ album, 1982 / Arsom) CAPE VERDE
"Pêso De Sodade" is another of those rare LPs from Cap Verde in the early 80s with infernal tropical disco rhythms and mad synths sounds, funaná and cadence style. It includes two killer coladeiras, "M Krê Bai Pa Nha Terra" and the one we picked here, "Coração Dum Criola".
11. Kubala - Bar d'Avenida
(from 'Nôs Mudjer - Emancipaçon Libertaçón’ album, 19XX / Arsom)
A small, independent production from Cape Verde with legendary band Tulipa Negra. Expect lively afro rhythms with ondulating guitar sounds. There’s a few key tracks in there for tropical DJs, the main one to put the dancefloor on fire being the last tune from the A side, the uptempo stormer "Bar d'Avenida".
12. Nhú De Ped'Bia - Arbé de Cadjau
(from 'Nós Criola' album, 19XX / Babylon)
Released in the late 1970s/early 1980s, this solid album features cool dancefloor funaná synth tunes, especially on the superb "Arbé de Cajau" with its moog effects.
13. Cabo Verde Show - Terra Longe
(from 'Caminho De Esperança’ album, 1980 / Arsom) CAPE VERDE
Read above — track 06 — for some info about the band. This other tune extracted from the band’s same first album is more of a deeply groovy tropical disco affair than the serious ass-shaking coladeira or funaná you might expect from this selection…
14. Vis A Vis - Mi Sou Mou
(from 'High-Life Time, Owo Bieya’ album, 197X / AD) GHANA
Let’s breathe for a second with this great, spiraling, hypnotic highlife tune from Ghanean masters Vis A Vis. Based in Kumasi, Vis-a-Vis were not only the Alhaji K. Frimpong backing band (known as "The Cubanos Fiesta" but a band in their own right and released about 7 records on Mr. Brobbey's label Brobisco, as well as for local labels Ambassador and OforiBros.
15. Claudette et Ti Pierre - Zanmi Camarade
(from ‘Camionette’ album, 1979 / Macaya) HAITI
Singer Claudette Pierre-Louis and singer/keyboardist Ulrick Pierre were quite the unusual duo in the late 70s and in the 80s, blending their influences of traditional Haitian music with minimal synths sounds. Their first album from 1979 is quite sought-after for the killer tropical dancefloor pop tune "Zanmi Camarade", recently edited by the Sofrito crew on their "Haiti EP".
Total time : 65mn 43s
Credits :
Selected and mixed by Loik (parisdjs.com)
Mastered by Grant Phabao (grantphabao.com)
Artwork by Ben Hito (facebook.com/benhito)
Links :
Paris DJs : parisdjs.com | bandcamp | facebook | pinterest | soundcloud | twitter | youtube
Ben Hito : official | discogs | facebook
Original post on Paris DJs