I Have My Liberty! Gospel Sounds from Accra, Ghana

I received an email from Calpin Hoffman-Williamson who is a Philadelphia-based audio engineer and producer of I Have My Liberty! Gospel Sounds from Accra, Ghana.

A description of the project:

I Have My Liberty! Gospel Sounds from Accra, Ghana is an album of songs and performances recorded live from the churches of Ghana’s capitol city.

Amid Accra’s bustling sprawl of swirling dust and exhaust, are countless havens for homegrown musical expression: charismatic and Pentecostal-inspired church services. There, distorted PA systems anchored by female singers and ramshackle guitars played by a rotating cast of local men, weave in and out of popular melodies bringing congregations to their feet. Singers emote in repeated phrases, lifted by tambourines, claps, and percussion, to unite their voices in praise and worship. I Have My Liberty! takes listeners into these churches, where congregations silence the noise and process the anxieties of their West African metropolis.

credits

released 24 April 2011
produced by Calpin Hoffman-Williamson
mastered by Timothy Stollenwerk

I urge you all to check out this amazing project!

Listen to the album in its entirety at: ihavemyliberty.bandcamp.com

Read the I Have My Liberty! blog at: ihavemyliberty.tumblr.com

Download and share select songs at: soundcloud.com/ihavemyliberty

I'm back!!

Hello everyone!! It's been too long since i've updated this blog.... but in the coming days, weeks and months...prepare to be blown away by more posts on music from the motherland!! With the Ottawa Jazz festival, Festval Nuits d'Afrique in Montreal and many other African summer concerts, I'll be sure to keep you all posted!!

I'm going to see the South African legend Hugh Masekela perform today at the Ottawa Jazz Festival! I'm so excited!! Are you?!

I hope he performs my favourite song:

Stay tuned my friends! :D

Qui est derrière toi?

Now that i've moved to Ottawa, it's so hard to find CD's and cassettes (yes I still have them lol) of African music. If I really want a CD, I have to travel to Montreal or Toronto to get them..as most of the CD's I want aren't available for purchase online, or the full track isn't available. :( But being a broke student, that's not very often. *hint, hint* lol
I was trying to be cheap and look for torrents and downloads of it but there weren't any.

Anyways moving on, Ferre Gola is one of my favorite Congolese singers at the moment, and as promised in an earlier post about Ferre Gola, here's some tracks from his latest album "Qui est derrière toi?" which is a 2 CD album. Mehn, the way I had to SEARCH for this album no be small! Kai! That's how much I love his music, even though I don't understand what the hell he's saying. The CD as in the majority of Congolese CDs these days is a blend of the fast-tempo Ndombolo and slower Rumba tracks.

Tracklist:
1. 3 ème doigt
2. Generique bokoko
3.Bequille
4. Match Eza Wooh
5.Qui est derrière toi?
6. Je t'attend
7. Diki Diki
8. Kamasutra
9.Légume
10. Zazou
11.Andy Mputu
12. Insuline

QUI EST DERRIERE TOI DOWNLOAD

Fresh 'ish from the Motherland

Why hello there everyone! Yeah, yeah it's been MONTHS since I posted.

*looks around* You know...school...work... the World Cup... depression after Ghana's heartbreaking loss to Uruguay :$%:#:@$ Suarez :@ $#%#......but i'm back! Yay! :) I appreciate the random messages I recieved asking for new songs :)

Anyways over the months i've just been stacking up on new and old music from the motherland and i'll share the love...

Here's a MASH up mix from all corners of the motherland :) ..enjoy!

Tracklist:

1. Umsebemzi Wami - DJ What What (South Africa)

2. Ghana Lady - Appietus ft Mframa (Ghana)

3. The Uncomfortable Truth - Nneka (Nigeria)

4. La Danse du Mannequin - Yannick le Mannequin ft Petit Pays (Cameroon)

5. Tchongon Cite - Abou Smith (Cote d'Ivoire)

6. La Jungle - Fally Ipupa (DR Congo)

7. Yaaye - Gorgui Ndiaye (Senegal)

8. Somalia - K'Naan (Somalia)

9. Pike, Pike - DJ Patrick fr Agre. G (Angola)

10. Koune Araafti Mali Entier - Najat Aatabou (Morocco)

MOTHERLANDIAN MIX DOWNLOAD

Senegal represent!

I'm a huge fan of Senegalese music...and their football (soccer team)... well in the 2002 FIFA World Cup I was ..since then they haven't impressed me at all. Sorry Senegalese folk lol. Anyways this posting is of Mbalax (probounced mbalakh) music in which "Etoile de Dakar (starring Youssou N'Dour and El Hadji Faye), and Raam Daan (starring Thione Seck)"(1) ,are credited in helping to nurture the evolution of mbalax into an internationally recognized style. It's a fusion of "Sabar" (the tradition drumming of Senegal) with the electric guitar, brass and keyboard rhythms.

Here are some fresh tracks from a "mixtape" called "Mbeuguel Da Fa Khew Vol. 2".

1. Amitie - Youssou N'dour & Viviane N'dour
2. Diama Noir - Aida Ndiaye * my fave
3. Beuss Bi - Abdou Guitte Seck
4. Yaaye - Gorgui Ndiaye
5. Sama Gamou - Youssou N'dour
6. Music- Titi
7. Niit - Youssou N'dour
8. Jangaro - Abdou Guitte Seck

Mbalax Download Link

*attempts to dance sabar* Man.... dancing to Mbalax is a workout *gasps* lol google it up and you'll see what i'm talking about.



1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mbalax

LOL I know wikipedia is sometimes not a credible source..hehe no profs nearby :P

GO BLACKSTARS, GO BLACKSTARS GO!

In honour of my national team THE GHANA BLACK STARS, here's some patriotic music to ignite our run to win the AFRICAN CUP OF NATIONS and in June - the FIFA WORLD CUP! Oh yes I believe in my team!!! *waves hand in praise*


Y'all might think i'm crazy, but I prepare my mind, body and soul before big Blackstar games. Some of these songs are part of my "praise and worship" session before watching the game. Yes football (soccer) is my religion and i'm not ashamed to admit it lol.



Ghanaian National Anthem


Ghana 2008 CAN Anthem


Oseyie - Hiplife All-Stars


Black Stars - Sway

Ferre Gola!

Happy belated new year! Yeah it's been a while since I posted something. Times are rough but i'm still here! lol

Anyways, i've been listening to these two songs non-stop since 2 weeks ago... oh man! Ferre Gola is one of my favourite artists right now. He has an amazing voice and even though I don't understand what the hell he's saying. His newest album (Qui est Derrière Toi) came out in October and i'll post some of the tracks in a later post.
For those of you that don't know who he is, his real name is Hervé Gola Bataringe and was born in Kinshasa, DR Congo in 1976.
Besides his great voice, he plays the piano and drums. He was discovered in 1995 by Werrason back then when he was a member of the group Wenge Musica during a fair. This discovery launched the career of the singer.

P.S: The videos are kinda "wack" but the songs are nice....and he's fine too ;)