Highlife Time-AFRO FUNK GHANA / NIGERIA-60/70s-new CD
Highlife Time -- Nigerian & Ghanian Sounds From The 60s & Early 70s ... NEW LP
Highlife Time new DOUBLE CD
2XCD 2XCD Digipack. A great overview of African grooves in the years before Afro Funk truly exploded -- early highlife sounds from Nigeria and Ghana, most of it a fair bit rougher than work in the genre from later decades! The sound here is equally heavy on percussion and guitar -- the latter of which still has the famous highlife sing-song approach, but without as much sweetness and polish -- instead, often set up here with some rougher edges that scratch along nicely with the rhythms! The package does a great job of pulling together a variety of work to illustrate the range of sounds in this scene -- and the 2LP set features a total of 18 tracks that include "Jolosho" by St Augustine, "Trumpet Highlife" by Dr Victor Olaiya & ET Mensah, "Belama" by Opotopo, "Makojo" by Chief Stephen Osita Osadebe, "Won Bum" by Opotopo with Fatai Rolling Dollar, "Yellow Sisi" and "Oko" by Rex Lawson & His Rivers Men, "Okino" by Akana Man, "Ikoro Special" by Dan Satch & His Atomic 8, "Joromi" by Sir Victor Uwaifo, "Aasem" by Stan Plange & The Uhuru Dance Band, "Afro Baby" by Professional Seagulls Band, "Ensonta" by Chief Enyang Henshaw, "Pay Me My Money Now" by Rex Lawson, and "Grazing In The Grass" by Stan Plange & The Uhuru Dance Band.
Highlife Time 2XCD Digipack. IT'S HIGHLIFE TIME! Highlife, dance music played mostly in Ghana and Nigeria, represents one of the century's first fusions of African roots and western music, and before 1970 it ruled dancefloors across much of West Africa. The story of West African big-band Highlife is the story of West African independence itself. From its early roots in church music, old African song forms, sea shanties and military brass bands to the orchestra podiums of the slickest nightclubs and concert halls of Lagos and Accra, Highlife has charted the growing confidence of a proud and gifted people casting off the shackles of empire: a people ready to live the High Life. Accra's E.T.Mensah was the pioneer, but Lagos was not far behind, with superstars such as Roy Chicago, Rex Lawson and Dr. Victor Olaiya performing to packed dancefloors where, unusually for West Africa, ethnicity didn't matter ¿ Igbo people danced with Hausas, and Efik guys with Yoruba women. West Africa was prosperous, there was work for all ¿ and for several glorious years, Highlife was the soundtrack for the good times. In 1967 the tragic Biafran War wrought three years of misery in eastern Nigeria, but soon after Highlife came to the rescue, the 70s music of legends such as Stephen Osita Osadebe helping to heal the scars as only music can.
In our collection you'll find all of these Highlife stars and more, from the most celebrated to the obscure one-hit wonders. Not content with just churning out material available from European and American catalogues, Vampisoul journeyed to Lagos, scoured the record crates, dusted off the forgotten mastertapes and started afresh. As the radio DJs used to say back then: "People, Highlife is King! Long live Highlife!"
Available on 2CD and 2LP formats, both with complete and informative essay by African music authority John Armstrong. Tracks list CD1: 1.Trumpet Highlife (Dr. Victor Olaiya & E.T. Mensah) 2. Belama (Opotopo)
3. Numfinye (Nome Alobo) (Rex Lawson And His Rivers Men)
4. Grazing In The Grass (Stan Plange And The Uhuru Dance Band)
5. Jolosho (St Augustine)
6. Yellow Sisi (Rex Lawson And His Rivers Men)
7. Dabra Ba (Stan Plange And The Uhuru Dance Band)
8. Won Bum (Opotopo With Fatai Rolling Dollar)
9. Makojo (Chief Stephen Osita Osadebe)
CD2: 10.Joromi (Sir Victor Uwaifo And The Melody Maestroes)
11. Mofe Muyan (Dr. Victor Olaiya)
12. Oko (Rex Lawson And His Rivers Men)
13. Aasem (Stan Plange & The Uhuru Dance Band)
14. Peri Special Mbanga (Rex Lawson And His Rivers Men)
15. Ikoro Special (Dan Satch And His Atomic 8)
16. Esonta (Chief Enyang Henshaw)
17. Afro Baby (Professional Seagulls Band)
18. Pay Me My Money Now (Rex Lawson And His Rivers Men)
19. Etuk Owo (Opotopo)
20. Okina (Akana Man)
"Sophisticated powerful rhythms¿ just magical - Serious shit for any dancefloor, with the big names in killer form." MOJO (UK)
"Vampisoul's Highlife Time is comprehensive and guides the listener into the highlife world far enough to show that there indeed a host of different angles and approaches representing this chiming, languid, sweaty and sometimes freaky music." DUSTED (USA)
"The latest exercise in African retro from the musical archaeologists at Vampisoul takes us on an enticing journey back to the golden era of post-colonial West African highlife. Compiler John Armstrong has sensibly decided to allow the biggest names a very liberal representation, giving them two or three tracks each, although there's still space for some thrillingly obscure one-hit wonders.- 4/5" SONGLINES (UK) WWW.VINYLKIOSK.COM
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