Your favourite African music albums?
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Forum Name: General Music Discussions
Forum Description: Discuss and create polls about all types of music
URL: http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=127944
Printed Date: March 09 2025 at 14:41
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Topic: Your favourite African music albums?
Posted By: David_D
Subject: Your favourite African music albums?
Date Posted: December 04 2021 at 02:42
I guess that African music is not the one which gets much attention here so, I've thought that it would be good with a thread about it. And the approach just being music with obvious African roots without much consideration whether the musicians themselves necessarily were/are living in Africa or even just being of African origins - in short, just let the music itself decides, and no matter what genres/styles...and I hope, you'll enjoy! My own contribution is: Osibisa - Osibisa (1971, Afro-Rock/Jazz Fusion) Osibisa - Voyaya (1971, Afro-Rock/Jazz-Rock) Osibisa - Heads (1972, Afro-Rock/Jazz-Rock) Assagai - Zimbabwe (1971, Afro-Rock/Jazz Fusion) Moussa Diallo - the-kékéliba- Goat - Commune (2014, Afro-Beat/Psych) Various artists - African Moves Vol. 2 (1989, Afro-Pop) Abdul Tee-Jay's Rokoto - Kanka Kuru (1989, Afro-Pop) Sona Diabate & M'Mah Sylla - Sahel (1988, Mande Music) Dhafer Youssef - Electric Sufi (2001, Arabic Jazz) ------------- quality over quantity, and all kind of PopcoRn almost beyond |
Replies:
Posted By: dwill123
Date Posted: December 04 2021 at 05:48
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Synchro System - King Sunny Adé Ayé - Angélique Kidjo Soul Makossa - Manu Dibango The Promise of a Future - Hugh Masekela |
Posted By: Psychedelic Paul
Date Posted: December 04 2021 at 05:59
I can only come up with one favourite African album, although the band are actually from England.  Demon Fuzz - Afreaka
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Posted By: Mirakaze
Date Posted: December 04 2021 at 09:51
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My exposure to professionally recorded music from this continent has been shamefully low. The only albums that come to mind are some free jazz recordings by former members of Chris McGregor's Blue Notes from South Africa; Song For Biko and Rejoice by Johnny Dyani and Spirits Rejoice! by Louis Moholo stand out the most to me as of now. ------------- https://mirasnelder.wordpress.com/" rel="nofollow - Freelance composer, accepting commissions | https://mirasnelder.bandcamp.com/album/altered-acuity" rel="nofollow - Bandcamp page |
Posted By: David_D
Date Posted: December 04 2021 at 10:07
absolutely no problem here ------------- quality over quantity, and all kind of PopcoRn almost beyond |
Psychedelic Paul wrote:Posted By: siLLy puPPy
Date Posted: December 04 2021 at 10:12
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I hate to break it to you but Osibisa was formed in London in 1969. Sure the members were from Ghana and the Caribbean but that doesn't make them an African band! There are tons of great artists from Africa. Some faves Myrath Djeli Moussa Diawara Super Eagles Marijata Mahmoud Ahmed Orchestra Baobab L'Orchestre Kanaga de Mopti Youssou N'Dour Bonga Mdou Moctar Group Doueh Miriam Makeba Die Antwoord Group Bombino Dur-Dur Band Sunburst Les Troubadours du Roi Baudouin that's just what i can think of at the moment. Lots more from this undiscovered continent -------------  https://rateyourmusic.com/~siLLy_puPPy |
Posted By: nick_h_nz
Date Posted: December 04 2021 at 10:12
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One of my favourite albums of this year is Wau Wau Collectif’s “Yaral Sa Doom” - a collaboration between musicians from Sweden and Senegal. I’m not sure it completely counts, therefore, as an African release, but it is lovely nevertheless. Highly recommended! https://wauwaucollectif.bandcamp.com/album/yaral-sa-doom" rel="nofollow - https://wauwaucollectif.bandcamp.com/album/yaral-sa-doom (Two of my favourite releases last year were from an African artist, too - Italian based Egyptian, Mohammed Ashraf, recording as Pie Are Squared.) (I’m surprised no one has mentioned Myrath yet, as they are are well known and well liked band from Tunisia (now based in France). [EDIT] Myrath were mentioned as I was writing my post. 🤪 ------------- https://tinyurl.com/nickhnz-tpa" rel="nofollow - Reviewer for The Progressive Aspect |
Posted By: David_D
Date Posted: December 04 2021 at 10:28
I'd appreciate that you read the OP before posting, siLLy puPPy, but I'm glad to hear, you're familiar with Osibisa which is absolutely my favourite African music band.
 ------------- quality over quantity, and all kind of PopcoRn almost beyond |
Posted By: siLLy puPPy
Date Posted: December 04 2021 at 11:45
Comment was more for this site which has them listed as from Ghana ------------- https://rateyourmusic.com/~siLLy_puPPy |
Posted By: JD
Date Posted: December 04 2021 at 12:14
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Geoff Love (aka Mandingo) (Father was African, Mother was English) ------------- Thank you for supporting independently produced music |
Posted By: David_D
Date Posted: December 04 2021 at 12:44
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Sorry, siLLy puPPy, but I'm not a mind reader. ------------- quality over quantity, and all kind of PopcoRn almost beyond |
Posted By: The Dark Elf
Date Posted: December 04 2021 at 14:30
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Hugh Masakela - Home Is Where the Music Is Fela Kuti - Expensive Sh*t Miriam Makeba - An Evening With Belafonte/Makeba and the mesmerizing Ali Farka Touré, particularly the albums Taking Timbuktu (with Ry Cooder) and Savane.... ------------- ...a vigorous circular motion hitherto unknown to the people of this area, but destined to take the place of the mud shark in your mythology... |
Posted By: Easy Money
Date Posted: December 04 2021 at 14:52
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Re country of origin on PA, the determination is based on where they were born, not where they were living when they released an album. UK would not be correct for Osibisa. As for African music, I own lots including, but not limited to: King Sunny Ade Kanda Bongo Man Youssou N'Dour Ebenezer Obey Osibissa Fela Khuti Ghetto Blaster Hugh Masekela Foday Musa Suso Mandingo and some others I can't recall now, plus lots of comps and field recordings. |
Posted By: Easy Money
Date Posted: December 04 2021 at 16:43
Posted By: Lewian
Date Posted: December 04 2021 at 17:44
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Rokia Traore - Beautiful Africa Tony Allen - Film of Life Fatoumata Diawara - Fatou Fela Kuti - Confusion, Gentlemen Toumani Diabate & Ballake Sissoko - New Ancient Strings Ali Farka Toure - Savane Kalifa Kone - Luna Seckou Keita - Miro Dhafer Youssef - Divine Shadows Manu Dibango - Soul Makossa Reebop Kwaku Baah - Reebop Ba-Benzele Pygmies - The Music of the Ba-Benzele Pygmies
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Posted By: siLLy puPPy
Date Posted: December 04 2021 at 19:36
Shouldn't it be where the band was formed? Not all the members were from Ghana. ------------- https://rateyourmusic.com/~siLLy_puPPy |
Posted By: siLLy puPPy
Date Posted: December 04 2021 at 19:49
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From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osibisa" rel="nofollow - Wikipedia . I guess multi-national might be a better choice. Formed in London by four Ghanans and others from Grenada, Trinidad and Antigua. Also not a bad thing having a nation like Ghana represented here i guess ------------- https://rateyourmusic.com/~siLLy_puPPy |
Posted By: Easy Money
Date Posted: December 04 2021 at 21:12
| Multi-national is probably correct by the PA policy, anyway, not my policy, that's the PA policy for those that might be interested. |
Posted By: siLLy puPPy
Date Posted: December 04 2021 at 21:29
I own this one and love it quite a bit! Herbie digging deep into his roots! ------------- https://rateyourmusic.com/~siLLy_puPPy |
Posted By: siLLy puPPy
Date Posted: December 04 2021 at 21:30
My apologies. I should've explained better! ------------- https://rateyourmusic.com/~siLLy_puPPy |
Posted By: Saperlipopette!
Date Posted: December 05 2021 at 01:00
Hailu Mergia and the Walias - Tche Belew Al Massrieen - Modern Music Emahoy Tsegué-Maryam Gučbrou - Piano Solo Mulatu Astatke - Ethiopiques, Vol. 4 Girma Yifrashewa - Peace and Love Francis Bebey - Psychedelic Sanza & African Electronic Music Baligh Hamdi - Le Monde Musical de Baligh Hamdi William Onyeabor - Anything You Saw Salah Ragab & The Cairo Jazz Band - Egyptian Jazz Hassan Hakmoun and Adam Rudolph - Gift Of The Gnawa Matata - Air Fiesta Manu Dibango - African Voodoo The Psychedelic Aliens - Psycho African Beat Love Dur Dur Band, lots of Dollar Brand and tons of tunes from different comps... I've stumled over several progressive electronic gems such as this (but can't remember all the names) plus Akalé Wubé - a french band playing ethio-jazz |
Posted By: Man With Hat
Date Posted: December 05 2021 at 10:27
pretty much me ------------- Dig me...But don't...Bury me I'm running still, I shall until, one day, I hope that I'll arrive Warning: Listening to jazz excessively can cause a laxative effect. |
Posted By: David_D
Date Posted: December 05 2021 at 16:12
If you don't know them, I think you should give the Swedish Goat a listen (particularly their first two albums) - with your fondness of freaky psychedelics - and see them live on Youtube, which is really some African like freaky psychedelia - but I don't know how fond you are of some exotic stuff.
 ------------- quality over quantity, and all kind of PopcoRn almost beyond |
Posted By: Ronstein
Date Posted: December 06 2021 at 04:52
Saw Osibisa live many times, back in the day. Absolutely joyous :-)
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Posted By: Nogbad_The_Bad
Date Posted: December 06 2021 at 05:49
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I only have 5 African albums Fela Kuti - Roforofo Fight Fela Kuti - Expensive sh*t Fela Kuti - Zombie Fela Kuti - Original Sufferhead Dhafer Youssef - Abu Nawas Rhapsody Guess you could count as they are mainly South African musicians except Shabaka who is English of Barbadian parents. Shabaka & The Ancestors - Wisdom Of The Elders Shabaka & The Ancestors - We Are Sent Here By History
------------- Ian Host of the Post-Avant Jazzcore Happy Hour on Progrock.com https://podcasts.progrock.com/post-avant-jazzcore-happy-hour/ |
Posted By: David_D
Date Posted: December 06 2021 at 16:17
Lucky you!, that's certainly more than I can say - even I surely wouldn't mind!  ------------- quality over quantity, and all kind of PopcoRn almost beyond |
Posted By: David_D
Date Posted: December 06 2021 at 16:25
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------------- quality over quantity, and all kind of PopcoRn almost beyond |
Posted By: Sean Trane
Date Posted: December 07 2021 at 01:45
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12 Mombasa African Rhythms & Blues 2 Ken 1976 12 Osibisa -
Osibisa (1971) 12 Osibisa - Voyagev
(1971) 12 Dhafer Youssef - Abou
Nawas Rhapsody Tun 2010 11 Youssef, Dhafer Diwan of Beauty and Odd Tun 2016 11 Mandingo - Mandingo 11 Batsumi Batsumi SAf 1974
11 Ibrahim, Abdullah (Dollar Brand) African Space Program SAf 1973 11 Ibrahim, Abdullah (Dollar Brand) Journey SAf 1977
11 Ibrahim, Abdullah (Dollar Brand) Soweto (aka African Herbs) SAf 1978 11 Ibrahim, Abdullah (Dollar Brand) Africa: Tears and Laughter SAf 1979 11 Mombasa African Rhythms & Blues Ken 1975 10 Assagai -
Zimbabwe (1971) 10 Abstract Truth Silver Trees SAf 1970
10 Abstract Truth Totum SAf 1970
10 Batsumi Moving Along SAf 1976
10 Funkees Point of No Return Nig 1975
10 Ibrahim, Abdullah (Dollar Brand) Black Lightning SAf 1976 10 Ibrahim, Abdullah (Dollar Brand) Cape Town Fringe SAf 1977 10 Kuti, Fela London Scene (aka Buy Africa) Nig 1971 10 Kuti, Fela Open & Close Nig 1971 10 Kuti, Fela Why Black Man Dey Suffer Nig 1971 10 Kuti, Fela Roforofo Fight Nig 1972
10 Kuti, Fela Shakara Nig 1972
10 Kuti, Fela Afrodisiac Nig 1973
10 Kuti,
Fela Gentleman Nig 1973 10 Kuti,
Fela Confusion Nig 1975 10 Kuti, Fela Expensive sh*t Nig 1975
10 Kuti, Fela Kalakuta Show Nig 1976
10 Kuti, Fela Sorrow, Tears and Blood Nig 1977 10 Kuti, Fela Zombie Nig 1977
10 Kuti, Fela Shuffering and Shmiling Nig 1978 10 Miller, Harry Children at Play SAf 1974
10 Miller, Harry / Isipingo Which Way Now SAf 1975 10 Miller, Harry / Isipingo Family Affair SAf 1977 10 Mombasa Peace Maker Ken 1981 10 Monomono Give the Beggar a Chance Nig 1972
10 Monomono The Dawn of Awareness Nig 1974
10 Ofege Try
and Love Nig 1973
10 Ofege Higher
Plane Breeze Nig 1977
10 SJOB Movement A Move in the Right Direction Nig 1974 And of course Mulatu Astatke and other forms of Ethiojazz/Afrobeats ------------- let's just stay above the moral melee prefer the sink to the gutter keep our sand-castle virtues content to be a doer as well as a thinker, prefer lifting our pen rather than un-sheath our sword |
Posted By: Syzygy
Date Posted: December 07 2021 at 02:34
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Bonjour Monsieur Trane! There are some excellent recommendations in this thread already. My two pence worth: Anouar Brahem - a Tunisian out master who, like Dhafer Youssef, works mostly with European jazz musicians. He records for ECM, and on Barzakh and Conte de l'Incroyable Amour he is with other North African musicians rather than the cross cultural fusion of his other releases. Tinariwen - a bunch of Touareg rebels who picked up guitars (the lead guitarist has 19 bullet wounds, which puts the tough guy reputation of 50 Cent into some perspective). They play hypnotic desert blues - Imidiwan and Live in Paris are good places to start, but all their albums are good). Songhoy Blues - a quartet of young Malian exiles who play in a similar style to Tinariwen, but with a bit of punk attitude. Music in Exile is the best starting point. ------------- 'Like so many of you I've got my doubts about how much to contribute to the already rich among us...' Robert Wyatt, Gloria Gloom |
Posted By: Sean Trane
Date Posted: December 07 2021 at 04:46
Wow, long time no read, mr Chriszygy  howzyabiinnn?? I'm aware of Brahem (Sahar and Astounding Eyes) and Tinariwen and I could've also named Mory Kante in there. Had I been a little wider geographically speaking; I might have included Ibrahim Maalouf, Abu Khalil, Okay Temiz and Tigran Hamassyan. . ------------- let's just stay above the moral melee prefer the sink to the gutter keep our sand-castle virtues content to be a doer as well as a thinker, prefer lifting our pen rather than un-sheath our sword |
Posted By: Mascodagama
Date Posted: December 07 2021 at 07:07
Some great stuff here. Terakaft, in the vein of Tinariwen and featuring some ex-members, is also excellent. I also dig Bassekou Kouyate & Ngoni Ba: ------------- Soldato of the Pan Head Mafia. We'll make you an offer you can't listen to. http://bandcamp.com/jpillbox" rel="nofollow - Bandcamp Profile |
Posted By: kenethlevine
Date Posted: December 07 2021 at 09:01
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a few artists that are faves off the top of my head Habib Koite Juluka Toure Kunda Ismael Lo Pape and Cheikh Papa Wemba Henri Dikongue |
Posted By: David_D
Date Posted: December 07 2021 at 10:41
thank you ------------- quality over quantity, and all kind of PopcoRn almost beyond |
Posted By: David_D
Date Posted: December 09 2021 at 08:20
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------------- quality over quantity, and all kind of PopcoRn almost beyond |
Posted By: Saperlipopette!
Date Posted: December 09 2021 at 09:12
Sure I got loads, really. Excellent afro-funk rock - almost kraut rockin' grooves from Ghana (1973). |
Posted By: David_D
Date Posted: December 09 2021 at 09:29
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------------- quality over quantity, and all kind of PopcoRn almost beyond |
Posted By: Snicolette
Date Posted: December 09 2021 at 10:46
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I love Dhafer Youssef as well and enjoyed the Juluka albums, as well as the Savuka albums in the 80s. Some here may also want to check Seckou Keita, who plays the kora, who not only performs music from Senegal but also collaborates with artists of other genres, jazz, world, etc. I can't say I have a favourite album of his, as pretty much no matter what he does, I find very compelling. ------------- "Into every rain, a little life must fall." ~Tom Rapp |
Posted By: David_D
Date Posted: December 09 2021 at 12:19
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------------- quality over quantity, and all kind of PopcoRn almost beyond |
Posted By: Snicolette
Date Posted: December 09 2021 at 13:40
*curtseys* ------------- "Into every rain, a little life must fall." ~Tom Rapp |
Posted By: Lewian
Date Posted: December 09 2021 at 15:48
I think it was you, in the interactive polls, who brought Dhafer Youssef to me.
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Posted By: Snicolette
Date Posted: December 09 2021 at 15:54
------------- "Into every rain, a little life must fall." ~Tom Rapp |
Posted By: Cambus741
Date Posted: December 10 2021 at 02:05
| does Somewhere in Afrika by Manfred Mann's Earth Band count? |
Posted By: David_D
Date Posted: December 10 2021 at 02:18
I think, it's up to you, but I can tell you so much that RYM classify it as Progressive Pop (as the Primary Genre), and they mentioned three possible classifications as Secondary Genre, one of them being South African Music. ------------- quality over quantity, and all kind of PopcoRn almost beyond |
Posted By: Hugh Manatee
Date Posted: December 19 2021 at 01:44
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I was listening to Tinariwen earlier and it reminded me of this thread. I don't think there's any question they are an African band. ------------- I should have been a pair of ragged claws Scuttling across the floors of uncertain seas |
Posted By: dwill123
Date Posted: December 19 2021 at 05:41
Posted By: Hugh Manatee
Date Posted: December 19 2021 at 05:47
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JduG0nT1Q3s" rel="nofollow - Peter Gabriel & Youssou N'Dour - Shaking The Tree - YouTube ------------- I should have been a pair of ragged claws Scuttling across the floors of uncertain seas |