FILTER REISSUES
Future shock
Cultural upheaval and technological advances shake up West African emigrés. By David Hutcheon.
Various
★★★★
Ghana Special 2: Electronic Highlife & Afro Sounds In The Diaspora 1980-93
SOUNDWAY. CD/DL/LP
The in sounds from way out: Ghana Special 2 stars Delips Apo (left, from The Godfathers and Dadadi) and Andy Vans.
STRANGE THINGS happen when the compulsion to keep moving forward means artists collide with the harsh realities of economic turmoil. In the 1960s, boom-time countries across Africa promoted new forms of indigenous music, sponsoring big bands comprising the finest musicians. Shit-hot guitarists; peerless, soul-scorching singers; batteries of percussionists; nightlife that would shame Manhattan or Soho. To be young was very heaven as independence blossomed.