New Mix : Fly Me Back To Kinshasa - A Selection of 70's Congolese Afro Jerk and Soukouss Tracks

Merry Christmas everyone !!!

As a little Xmas present, here comes the last brand new selection of the year 2012 of some Afro Jerk / Afrobeat and Soukouss tracks from Congo (Zaïre) through some different orchestras and bands (Orchestre Veve, Orchestre Veve Star, Orchestre Cobantou, Orchestre Kiam) leaded by the great Georges Kiamwangana Mateta aka "Dynamite Verckys",a legendary Congolese musician that began his carrer at the end of the 60's - Enjoy !!

Armand de Preseau - Fly Me Back To Kinshasa

A 70's Afro Jerk and Soukouss Congolese Track

(be patient with the flash player, it works but loading may be slow due to the size of the file )

Download the selection here (right clic, save as)

Tracklist :

1 - Champro King et l'Orchestre Cobantou - Merci Roi Champro
2 - Bovick et L'Orchestre Veve - Venus
3 - Orchestre Bella bella - Milly
4 - Verckys et l'Orchestre Veve - Nakobala Yo Denise
5 - Orchestre Veve Star - Nitarudia
6 - Ndalani 77 Brothers - Nzaumi
7 - Orchestre Veve Star - Bassala Hot
8 - Franck Muzola Ngunga et l'Orchestre Kiam - Bamo Kangi

Merry christmas again and happy 2013 to everyone ! See you next week for the next selection !

Sincerely yours,

Armand de Préseau

Aktion, Blo, Comrades : A New Nigerian Afro Rock Fuzz Funk Selection

Hi dear readers !

Au menu cette semaine (as promised for a loooong time !) a selection of several huge afro rock tracks, taken from very hard to find Nigerian bands, such as Aktion, The Comrades, One world, Bongos Ikwue and The Apostles..

First part of the mix : Acid Fuzz Rock oriented

Second part of the mix : Afro Funk oriented

Third part of the mix : Afro Transe oriented

Fourth part of the mix : Soulful and Deep funk oriented

Enjoy !

Armand de Preseau - Nigeria Rock Fuzz Funk Selection

(be patient with the flash player, it works but loading may be slow due to the size of the file )

Download the selection here (right clic, save as)

 

From Kingston to Nassau - A Winter Bahamian Selection

Hi everyone !

As promised, here comes the new weekly selection. This week, we travel far from Africa, in the Barbados from Kingston to Nassau, trough St Lucia, St Marteens, Antigua and a few others small islands.

Armand de Preseau - From Kingston to Nassau : A Winter Bahamian Selection

 Download it here (right clic, "save as")

Tracklist :

1 - Wadadli Experience - We See Jah

2 - Hopeton Lewis - Funky Kingston

3 - H2O - Medusa

4 - Blue Rhythm Combo - Black Water Gold

5 - Babalu and his Headhunters - Head hunters Rock

6 - Boo and The Tru-Tones - Don't Blame This Joint

7 - Boo and The Tru-Tones - Let Me Get Stoned

8 - Rolling Tones International - It's A Feeling

9 - Bobby Raveen - Soca Fusion

10 - Frankie Zhivago Young - Disco Funkanoo

11 - New York's Top Sounds Inc. Combo - Light My Fire

Enjoy !

 

 

  

  

 

Highlife Time : EBO TAYLOR in concert 09/11/2012

Thanks for this awesome concert Mr. Ebo !!!!!

Selection of the week - African Garage Jerk Rock Selection

Hi there !

Au menu cette semaine, a selection of 10 tracks taken from terrific Afro Garage Jerk & Rock seven inches, from West To South Africa during the Golden 70's era - enjoy !

Armand de Preseau - African Garage Rock Selection

Download it here (right clic, save as)

A little game for you, dear readers : guess who are the artists or the songs of this selection, as some clues I give you the countries from where the bands are (not the countries where the songs were recorded!)

1 - Gabon
2 - Gambia
3 - Congo
4 - Burkina Faso
5 - Cameroon
6 - Ivory Coast
7 - Ivory Coast
8 - Cameroon
9 - Benin
10 - South Africa

Good search !

Guinea Conakry - The Discotheque Syliphone Series

 

Hi dear readers,

This week, a Guinean selection of tracks taken from the famouses "Discotheque" compilations, out each year from 1970 to 1976 on the well known "Editions Syliphone Conacry".

The aim of this label - that existed from 1958 to 1984 - was to promote the artists and the Guinean culture troughout Africa.

As a first step for some of you into the Guinean sound, I decided to take one track from each compilation for this weekly selection - Enjoy !

Armand de Preseau - A Guinea Trip, The Discotheque Syliphone Series

Tracklisting :

Super Boiro Band - So I Si Sa (Taken from "Discotheque 74" compilation)

Balla Et Ses Balladins - Moi Ca Ma Fout (Taken from "Discotheque 71" compilation)

Keletigui Et Ses Tambourins - Miri Magnin (Taken from "Discotheque 73" compilation)

Super Boiro Band - Kha Mu Lan Ma (Taken from "Discotheque 75" compilation)

Bembeya Jazz National - Kana Sarakabo (Taken from "Discotheque 76" compilation)

Demba Camara Et Son Groupe - Exhumation Folklorique (Taken from "Discotheque 70" compilation)

Les Freres Diabate - N'Fa (Taken from "Discotheque 72" compilation)

You can download the selection just here (right clic, "save as")

Clelment Melome Et L'Orchestre Poly Rythmo De Cotonou

Hi there,

This week no mix, but a deep song from a great benineese artist, Clément Mélomé, leader of "L'Orchestre Poly Rythmo de Cotonou" (that will become later "Le Tout Puissant Orchestre de Cotonou") formed back in the 60's.

This track, a cover from a well known American standart from Brian Hyland, "Sealed With A Kiss",  was recorded on a tiny Benineese Label (there was hundred labels like this one at the time), "Disques Sachey", probably in the mid 70's.

This Song is dedicated to my cousin and my brother, Jean.

Repose en Paix, mon frère.

Clément Mélomé et L'Orchestre Poly Rythmo de Cotonou - La Fin de L'Ete

The Super Eagles Of Gambia - Love Is A Real Thing

"The Super Eagles" was a band of 8 Gambian & Senegalese musicians that joined together in 1967. They recorded a few LP on the English label DECCA (Gambia is an ancient British colony, Senegal is an ancient French colony and, more in the in the past, Senegal and Gambia formed only one country but the story is what it is..).

More, they recorded a few 7 inches (I know only 2 of them) on a tiny Ghanaian label, "Ghana Film", maybe i'll share them later.

I decided to make you discover one beautiful track taken from their first LP, recorded during an tour of England, "Love Is A Real Thing". Nothing to add, the instrumentation, the voices, everything seems just as it should be in this track, perfect.

This one is for my beloved Soum.

The Super Eagles of Gambia - Love Is A Real Thing

 

 Enjoy,

Armand

The Sweet Talks, City Boys, Vis a Vis, K Frimpong, Psychedelic Aliens, Kelenkye Band, Gyedu Blay Ambolley : A Sunny Sunday In Accra, Ghana

Hi everyone !

This week, as promised for a long time, a 70' minutes Funky & more "traditionnal" Highlife selection of several Bands from Ghana, including : The Sweet Talks, The City Boys, The Vis-a-Vis orchestra, K. Frimpong, Gyedu Blay Ambolley, The Kyeremateng All Star, The Psychedelic Aliens & many more !

Armand de Preseau - A Sunny Sunday In Accra

To download, as usual, right clic and "save as" just right here

Take care,

Armand

Moussa Doumbia, Miriam Makeba, Pivi et Ses Baladins - Samba covers /// A journey through Guinee

On this picture : The two main singers of the Guinean Orchestra Bembeya Jazz

Hi everyone !

I decided to make you (re)discover this week different versions of a huge African classic, the song Samba, a traditional Guinean song.

Originally released in 1972, this song by les Balladins, a Guinean Orchestra, was made world famous by the cover of the African diva Myriam Makeba in 1974.

This song was first released in 1972 on a 7' by Balla et les Balladins, and an extremely similar (same ?) version by Pivi et les Balladins (the same Orchestra, with a different conductor) out the same year on the "Discotheque 72" compilation on Syliphone Conakry

This song talks about samba, a man from the country of Guinea, who experiences many hilarious stories, characters and problems.

Many covers, from different styles, were made during the 70's & the 80's, to traditional from Afro Rock and Funk.

I selected for you 6 versions of this song (actually the only recorded I know !), hope you'd like them !

Pivi et Les Balladins - Samba (1972)

For me the first one and the best one from Les Balladins, Pivi or Balla it doesn't matter.

Myriam Makeba - Samba (1974)

Beautiful cover from this african Diva.

Super Boiro Band - Samba (1976)

Great afro psych funk instrumentation by another great Guinean Orchestra that recorded several albums on Syliphone Conakry, the same label as Les Balladins.

Moussa Doumbia - Samba (1978)

Killer funky version with killer grunts from the Malian James Brown, the amazing Moussa Doumbia.

Les Amazones de Guinee - Samba (1983)

Amazing live version by this girls band from Guinea, recorded at the "Theâtre de la Mutualité" (Paris, my hometown !) on the 6 of April 1983.

Afrique du Folklore - Samba (release date unknown)

Lovely cover from an Ivory Coast band of Balafon players (actually I'm not 100 % sure if it's really a cover of the Guinean song, some parts are similar but this one is really far for the original so..)

If you know other covers of this beautiful song, don't hesitate to leave a comment !

All the best, see you next week,

Armand