I am by no means an expert on African music (I'll leave that to the folks running Afropop.org), but I thought it would be fun to share my current playlist with you. So here are some African beats that have been in rotation on my iPod this past week:
- Sauti Sol, a young Kenyan acoustic band with a soulful sound, are making waves with their debut album Mwanzo. I can't stop playing their second single that just came out, Blue Uniform. Check it out on YouTube or download the whole album from Emusic.
- Bisso na Bisso is a French/Congolese rap ensemble and an excellent introduction to French/African rap if you haven't heard much before. Check out Bisso na Bisso on YouTube from their first album Racines, great song and fun video. If you like this, check out Ce Soir, the first single from their new album, Africa United.
- Tinariwen, a group of Tuareg poet/musicians with a famous fan base including Bono, Robert Plant and Santana. Tinariwen released an album this summer called Companions, here's a video clip introducing the album. You can download the album from Emusic.
- The Very Best is a London based band, led by Malawian singer Esau Mwamwaya. Their songs are in Chichewa and can be heard on the recently released debut album Warm Heart of Africa. Check out Chalo and Tengazako, a Malawian take on M.I.A's Paperplanes.
- Amadou and Mariam (a blind musician couple from Mali) got together with Manu Chao in 2004 and produced this wonderful album Dimanche a Bamako that I've been listening to regularly ever since. The title track, Dimanche a Bamako is my favorite and I was excited to see a video of the recording. Download the whole album here.
- Lucky Dube always seems to find his way into my day, I've been tapping my feet to Together as One for the past couple of decades and I'm not stopping now.
- Femi Kuti is likewise in constant rotation, check out Beng Beng Beng for a good visual of his raw singing power, and if you haven't seen the DVD Live at the Shrine you're really missing something.
Please feel free to share your African playlist with us, just click on the "comment" section below.
I’ve been listening a lot to Oumou Sangarés latest, Seya and Habib Koité’s Afriki. Also on my playlist, Salif Keita, Rokia Traoré and Victor Demé.
Hi Anouk,
Patricia, Guide to Brazil Travel here. I got the heads-up about this list in your newsletter, thanks! Brazil and Africa are joined at the hip, and in much of this beat I hear our rhythms and feel the presence of my African ancestor(s) whose names have been lost.
I love music from Madagascar. Here’s a favorite: Manambady by Mily Clement.