Compilation & Soundtrack Albums:

The Rough Guide to Highlife

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Description

Highlife originated in Ghana and Sierra Leone in the early twentieth century and was born out of a fusion of American jazz rhythms and myriad African roots musics. Originally dance orchestras played the music to entertain the colonial elite in high-class clubs along the coast, thus garnering the nickname ‘highlife’. As the twentieth century ploughed on, social and cultural changes across West Africa were reflected in, and disseminated via, highlife and its derivatives; guitar-band highlife, gospel-highlife and disco-highlife are just a few of the styles that emerged. This compilation focuses on hand-picked gems from the highlife archive. The roll call includes some of the biggest highlife hits from stellar names, Chief Stephen Osita Osadebe, Celestine Ukwu, Dr Victor Olaiya. Nestling alongside those golden sounds, other quirky tracks are gems are to be uncovered.

Most strikingly the punchy party number that opens this Rough Guide features none other than the Nigerian legend, Fela Kuti singing out, ‘Its highlife time’. These days everyone knows Fela as the Afrobeat superstar supreme. But, in fact, during his early career Fela played with the band Koola Lobitos, peddling a different sound: the highlife vibe heard here. ‘Tsutsu Tsesemo (Old Time Training)’ by Desmonda Ababio, Lewis Wadawa & Black Beats Highlife Dance Band is a march-like tune with wonderfully drunken-sounding horns, retro keyboard figures and a catchy chorus line. Whilst the glorious gospel-highlife ensemble, Genesis Gospel Singers close the album with a sweetly sung number performed by a full and gutsy chorus line.

The bonus album is a re-issue of a classic Riverboat Records release, the inimitable Seprewa Kasa explore the origins of the genre via their use of the seprewa, a rare stringed instrument nicknamed the ‘soul of highlife’.

Track Listing:

Disc 1:
  1. Fela Ransome-Kuti and His Koola Lobitos: Highlife Time
  2. Desmond Ababio, Lewis Wadawa & Black Beats Highlife Dance Band: Tsutsu Tsosemo (Old Time Training)
  3. Gentleman Bobby Benson: Taxi Driver
  4. Sweet Talks: Juliana
  5. Roadmaster & Agyemang: Akwasi Broni
  6. Francis Kenya's Guitar Band: Memia (I Am Too Broke)
  7. Chief Stephen Osita Osadebe: Osondi Owendi
  8. Sir Victor Uwaifo: Do Amen Do
  9. Celestine Ukwu: Igede
  10. Koo Nimo: Se Wo Nom Me (Tetse Fly You Suck My Blood)
  11. Professional Seagulls Dance Band: Atabala Woman
  12. Victor Olaiya: Pariboto Riboto
  13. Genesis Gospel Singers: Momma Mo Akoma Ntutu
Disc 2:
  1. Adowa (Otanfo)
  2. Dagomba
  3. Nkabom
  4. Seprewa Kasa (Seprewa Speaks Guitar Answers!)
  5. Towoboase
  6. Nkasoo
  7. Agyese Wobre
  8. Barima Ye Na
Release date NZ
February 26th, 2014
Label
World Music Network
Number of Discs
2
Brand
Original Release Year
2012
Box Dimensions (mm)
143x125x4
ISBN-13
9781908025333
Product ID
22171415

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