Afropop Worldwide Folgen

In today’s pop music, everybody is a composer. But what about the classics? The songs that last? In this program we survey African musicians reinterpreting each other’s songs, as well as songs from far outside their traditions. And we hear foreign takes on African diaspora music. From Louis Armstrong’s “Skokiaan” to Alpha Blondy’s “Whole Lotta Love,” it’s a journey of discovery and rediscovery. Produced by Banning Eyre. APWW #854

Moh Kouyate is a Guinean guitarist/singer/songwriter descending from a line of griots (jalis) in West Africa. As listeners heard in the Afropop Worldwide program Global Griots in France, he has lived in Paris since 2006, collaborating with a wide range of artists from genres far outside his traditional art. In this episode, Banning Eyre speaks with Moh about his adventurous life, and particularly, his ground-breaking, new acoustic album, Mokhôya. Also, fellow Guinean artist Natu Camara gives a shoutout about her upcoming visit to Camp Afropop, May 28-31, 2024 near Woodstock, New York.

In 2018, the renowned music journal Fact boldly claimed that “the world’s best electronic music festival is in Uganda.” In only a few years, Nyege Nyege has indeed become one of the hottest artistic hubs in East Africa, birthing two music labels that propelled local scenes, such as Ugandan acholitronix or Tanzanian singeli, across the globe. At the heart of this explosive universe lies a big house, known as “the Villa,” that almost constantly vibrates with sounds as musicians from the region and beyond tirelessly produce, exchange skills, and frenetically party until dawn. Despite reducing the Villa’s bubbling flow, COVID-19 didn’t silence it, and the house kept on nurturing its community of underground musicians. In this episode, producer Basile Koechlin takes us to the Villa to meet current residents and other members of the Nyege Nyege nebula. Through a patchwork of stories, soundscapes, and fresh musical releases, we hear more about this unique and strange place that came to host and generate a seminal part of the avant-garde of electronic music production in East Africa. APWW #843