Ahead of our party tomorrow night with Brian Shimkovitz aka Awesome Tapes From Africa, local music freak Charlie McCann has put together a varied mix of tunes to āencourage the danceā. Expect some synth stuff, a bit of Edo Funk, some modern afro-soul, juju vibes and disco.
Cry Parrot x Vitamins present: Awesome Tapes From Africa Thursday 31st July, 2300-0300 Saramago, CCA
https://www.facebook.com/events/723833870996995/
Tell us a little bit about yourself...
My nameās Charlie McCann formerly Glasgowās least rocking British New Wave of Heavy Metal record shop employee, currently part time librarian and DJing my way through a possible mid-life crisis by playing joyful sounds to disperse the gloom in my soul, and hopefully a few innocent bystandersā souls too.
Where did you're love of African music start?
I got into African music by what I expect is probably a pretty standard route ā getting recommended Fela in a record shop, then following the path to Tony Allen, Manu Dibango, King Sunny Ade, Chief Ebeneezer Obey; the stuff that was reasonably easy to find in Scotland, along with the comps of Afro stuff compiled by intrepid diggers (or cultural imperialists, depending on your point of view!) that started coming out in the nineties. I found l loved the spacier and āweirderā tracks off these comps rather than the straight up funky, jazzier and rockier ones that seem to make up their bulk, so Iāve been searching for that sound ever since. I lived in London for a while which made finding the stuff a lot easier. A real turning point was the occasion I bought I pile of Nigerian boogie from a library in the East End that was getting rid of its vinyl, I didnāt know what it was, I just liked the sleeves. I think I was probably on a reggae tip at the time so when I brought it home and it just sat in my āto be listened toā pile for months, but when I did get round to it I was hooked. I still punch myself in the ear weekly for not buying the whole box.
What inspired your specific selections on this mix?
When I was picking the music for this mix all I really had in mind was that Mr Shimkovitz really goes around the houses with the styles he plays out and I wanted to acknowledge that by covering a few different bases ā some synth stuff, a bit of Edo Funk, some modern afro-soul, juju vibes and disco etc. Most importantly to let people know weāre encouraging the dance right from the start of night until the end!
Internet blog culture over the last decade or so has opened up the opportunity to expose music from the continent that most people will have never heard of before. Do you think it's a good time for various types of African music?
oh yeah, definitely! Whatever you think about diggers going to Africa and buying vinyl to sell in the West (and I personally think that a bit wariness with just what is going on is really important) or bloggers posting ripped vinyl or cassettes youād have a hard time denying these incredible sounds getting into new ears is a good thing. Both musically speaking and as regards westerners getting a deeper understanding of the continent. I might be wrong but I suspect that the musicians who created these sounds might raise a wry smile the idea of a wee dick from Lanarkshire wigging right out in his living room in his pants clutching a mug of tea 20, 30, 40 years after they laid them down (the smile would soon fade when the idea formed a mental image though!). I donāt really think itās comparable to the free music culture whereby people have 15,000 songs on their computer that they invested next to nothing in collecting, half listened to and forgot only to repeat the process over and over until music can no longer connect with them at all. Something like Awesome Tapesā¦ or Comb and Razor are deep, rich sources of information that goes way beyond the mp3ās you get on there. Theyāre labours of love and act more like the recommendation of a clued up radio dj or music journalist covering non-canonized sounds. The blogs are at their best, I think, when they go beyond the āserious musicā of Fela and Ethiopian jazz (things which I love, incidentally) and get into African takes on pop, disco and less āwell regardedā genres- the stuff we really donāt get to hear. No matter what the blogs cover though, there remain huge swathes of music from an entire continent unheard by curious European, American and Asian ears, so itās only ever going to be a starting point. What Iād really like to see off the back of the blogs is a healthy re-issue scene developing that properly recompensed and recognized the musicians. I think itās happening to some extent with Ebo Taylor, the man/myth that is William Onyeabor and a couple of others but I would really love to see it explode to the extent where EMI and whoever it is that owns Phillips now put some resources into scouring their archives to dig out some African artists work so we get the chance to get some money to them and get them on tour! Even better- take a risk and make an effort to expose us to some of the more leftfield new stuff! I suspect this is wishful thinking to the point of delusion on my part however.
Are you attracted to any particular types of contemporary African music? Perhaps from a specific region?
Iām an old man! New musicās for the young people with their internet trainers and whatnot! My knowledge of really recent stuff isnāt great to be honest, Iāve enjoyed some of the Janka Nabay and Simple Zebra stuff, I really liked āKolotaā by Queen of Dance as well as some kwaito, but as I donāt really get along with vocoded/ autotuned vocals Iāve found searching for it, as with my beloved dancehall, too much of a slog at times. Thereās a lot of shit to shift through to get to the gold that I know must exist! While not African, or even contemporary in some cases in the strictest sense, the Mark Ernestus and Jeri-jeri records, some of Shackletonās stuff, the Sofrito Edits, Auntie Flo and Essa, Africane 808 and Tambien Project records have all buttered my muffin recently, but itās more like the polyrhythmic underpinning they share with of a lot of older African sounds is what makes them interesting to me.
What can we expect from your set supporting Awesome Tapes from Africa?
Hopefully itāll be night of music thatās new to at least a few of the people there. Itāll be nice to see some folk dancing and maybe have wee smiles under their noses. I suspect that anyone coming to an Awesome Tapesā¦ gig will already have an open mind so Iāll probably see what I can get away with by way of wonky afro-disco and boogie, maybe even some Caribbean grooves if I donāt get thrown off the decks for playing something non-African! Iāve already promised to play āChicks and Chickenā by the Esbee Family for someone, so youāll be hearing that one for sure.
Tracklist
Bobby Ejike - Afro Punk [Dragon Records]
Nkono Teles - Home Town Weather [Teno Records]
Jaamike Zeluwa - Kutelu [Recordisc]
Osayomore Joseph and The Creative Seven - My Kind of Woman [Fontana]
Victor Uwaifo and The Titibitis - Arabade [Phonogram]
Bola Bimbola - Afrika [EMI]
Eric Lepel - Zot Pare [sonodisc]
Ernest Honny - New Dance [Christiana Records]
M'bamina - Kilowi Kilowi [Paco Rabanne Design]
Carol bridi - Shake The Dust [Otto]
Mike Umoh - Shake Your Body [Duomo]
Goddy Oku - My Music [Finger Records]Ā
African Connection - Tiembelema [Celluloid]
Roots Foundation - Make It Funky [Skylark Records]
Thomas Frempong - Mada Meho So [Highlife World]
C.K Mann with Kofi "papa" Yankson - Nyimpa Bibinyi [Bonzark Records]
