Three new mixes! -MP3-

My last visit in Cotonou has yielded an enormous variety of new music and I have decided to illustrate the diversity of my finds by putting together three differently themed mixes.

First of all, I want to say a big thank you to Jonas and to Raj from Soulstrut for hosting these three mixes.

Another big thank you to all you out there who left comments on this blog or who wrote me encouraging eMails.

A big thank you to the Beastie Boys for putting up a link to this blog. I feel deeply flattered and the significantly enhanced traffic on this site has motivated me a big deal.


The first mix is called Mede Woui after the amazing hypnotic African blues by Johnny Achille that is included as the fourth track. Traditional, African Blues at its best.

All the tracks are from Benin, some are Satos, some are ritualistic Voodoo music, some are just labeled as "folclore". All in all, these tracks are pre-Afrobeat and for me not only demonstrate the enormous cultural wealth of Benin but also expose what I would consider to be the roots of Afrobeat.

MEDE WOUI -MP3-

00:00 Poly Rythmo -agnon depke
05:55 El Rego -e nan mian nuku
10:20 Daho Melo -amou kon we mide
13:17 Johnny Achille -mede woui
19:19 Houndeffo -lanhoue lanhoue
23:05 Gnacadia Cyprien -wangnini mon djin nonnon
28:25 Poly Rythmo -karateka
32:20 Nestor Hountondji -emalon ni hokowo
36:50 Pierre Avohou -mi so gbe tchan'houn
41:31 Tosse Gouton -zinli
48:25 Ezin Gangnon -honton home
52:46 Anatole Houndeffo -nou wli lewe
57:50 Yedenou Adjahoui -keke zeto

Next I put together one straight hour of Afrobeat. You will recognise that most names are from Benin but I also included two Artists from Ghana: Papa Yankson and CK Mann. African New System is a band from Congo that noone seems to have ever heard about and Smahilla & the SBs offer us a pretty shameless Fela Kuti Rip-Off with questionable vocal delivery but enormously mighty horns and a powerfull groove.

AFRICAN MOVEMENT -MP3-

00:00 Poly Rythmo -non gbeto do mahu tche
04:48 Agbandou Babiao -cherie de mon coeur
09:15 Papa Yankson -wogye w'enyadoo
16:00 Anos Band -alassane koda maradi
21:30 Poly Rythmo -houe djein na da
26:35 African New System -mounguele
36:40 CK Mann -mber papa
42:54 Smahilla & the SBs -african movement

This last mix is some kind of guilty pleasure of mine...
I had already sorted most of these records out for resale. Some of them were just borderline and I couldn't decide if they'd be too discoish for my taste or not while others are shameless, sleazy boogie cheese grenades that only a few years ago would have had me running for shelter. Well, what can I say... maybe I just listened to these records way too often while trying to figure out which ones to keep and which ones to dump. I'm having a hard time to come up with any explanation or excuse why I just started to really dig this stuff... I'm well aware of the fact that most of my friends and foes remember me as being one of the biggest haters of all things disco but hey, I'm fucking retired as a DJ, I don't have a crowd to loose and I don't give a shit about my reputation but please feel free to give me your opinion on this. Go ahead if you dare, click this link and prepare yourself for one ass spasm inducing hour of Lagos Disco Inferno!

LAGOS DISCO INFERNO -MP3-

00:00 Christiana Essien -black ladies are funky ladies
04:40 Grotto 2 -bad city girl
10:12 Ofege -check it out
14:05 C.S. Crew -bread power
19:00 The Celebrant -off beats
25:55 Yom-Yem -power to the people
31:00 Fotso Simo -mummy
35:00 Success -sugar daddy
41:13 J.M. Tim & Foty -my funky boogie
44:27 Tom Youms -close to me
49:12 Kris Okotje -'am going now
54:15 Ozo -anambra

I'm typing all this from an internet cafe in Accra...
I already found some pretty wild records around here and promise to put up a cover gallery and start working on a new mix as soon as I get back home to Guinea.By the way, the Guinean army threatens with a revolt starting Sept. 8th if they're not being paid their bad wages... hopefully this will be resolved one way or the other, I really don't want to have to flee to Sierra Leone again...