Beyond Zam Rock: A Western African Music Sampler Hour with Calamity Kate

African music? Oh, you mean like that Zam Rock stuff? Sure, but there’s so much more to discover. Here’s a smattering of music, mostly from Western Africa (though there is one Zam Rock tune from down South thrown in for good measure). Around half of these songs come to us from Portland’s own amazing label dedicated to surfacing old and new music from Africa’s Sahel region, Sahel Sounds. Seattle’s Sublime Frequencies is represented, too, along with other labels including Comb and Razor, Hot Casa, Now Again and Kindred Spirits.

This is music from Algeria, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Western Sahara, and Zambia, recorded between 1975 and just a few years ago. You’ll hear keyboard driven electronic music, fuzzed-out blues rock, psych, big brass and gorgeous acoustic guitar.  If it’s not new it’s from a reissue or first-time vinyl.

If you’re intimidated by those pedantic African music reviews that seem more like a history lesson than a story about music, never fear. There’s no pretense here. This is a small window into an exciting world. Just open it and listen! (In fact, the Sahel Sounds albums are all available for digital download at a nominal cost at https://sahelsounds.bandcamp.com.)

Here’s a bit about each artist, along with song title, label and year the music was made:

Akeeb Kareem, “Awa Na Re,” Blackman, Hot Casa Records, Nigeria, 1974 – Afro-funk musician Akeeb Kareem was big in the ‘60s and ‘70s then, legend has it, went underground. He resurfaced last year. 
http://hotcasarecords.com/release/akeeb-kareem/

Group Anmatoff, “Tinariwen,” Music from Saharan Cellphones Vol. I, Sahel Sounds, Algeria, 2010 (?) – One of the many cool tracks from Sahel’s compilation. Yes, this is literally music from cellphones, a primary vessel for music dissemination in West Africa. According to Christopher Kirkley, the founder of Sahel Sounds and tireless evangelist of West African music (you may have spotted him around Portland), he traded digitized versions of a few Townes Van Zandt albums for songs on the record. Tinariwen means “desert.”
https://sahelsounds.bandcamp.com/album/music-from-saharan-cellphones

Alkibar Gignor, “Djougal Nangho,” La Paix, Sahel Sounds, Mali, 2012 – The “Gignor” in Alkibar Gignor is pronounced like junior and means, er, junior. According to Sahel Sounds, “Their name refers to their origin as the apprentices and ‘juniors’ of AFEL BOCOUM's band Alkibar.” Bocoum is a singer and guitarist also from Mali.
https://sahelsounds.bandcamp.com/album/la-paix

Ngozi Family, “Sunka Malamu,” Day of Judgement, Now Again, 1975 – Yep, this is Zam Rock, as in 70’s psychedelic rock from Zambia. What does Sunka Malamu mean? Like most titles of the songs featured in this radio show, there are few online resources that help with translation. One fan suggested it had something to do with guitarist Paul “Ngozi” Nyirongo’s car, which makes sense if it’s true that sunka indeed means “push.”
http://www.nowagainrecords.com/announcing-ngozi-family-day-of-judgement/

Azna de l’ader, “Zabaya,” Zabaya, Sahel Sounds, Niger, 1970s (?) – Yet another Sahel Sounds product, this is seriously Hendrix-y psych rock from guitarist Mona. Zabaya was a leader of a city state in ancient Mesopotamia. But who knows – maybe it’s just somebody’s name.
https://sahelsounds.bandcamp.com/album/zabaya

Group Doueh, “Ishadlak Ya Khey,” Zayna Jumma, Sublime Frequencies, Western Sahara, 2010 – Desert rock from a multi-instrumental family band featuring a trance-y ensemble of voices.

http://www.sublimefrequencies.com/products/576411-group-doueh-zayna-jumma

Songhoy Blues, “Al Hassedi Terei,” Music in Exile, Transgressive/Atlantic, Mali, 2015 – Songhoy Blues came together in Bamako after fleeing Timbuktu after Sharia law was imposed by Islamic extremists there, snuffing out a vibrant music scene and creating a dangerous environment for artists. The band played at Doug Fir in April, 2016 and is prominently featured in the excellent documentary “They’ll Have to Kill Us First: Malian Music in Exile.” Yeah Yeah Yeahs guitarist Nick Zimmer produced the album, garnering attention for the band in the U.S. Songhoy Blues guitarist Garba Toure’s father played with guitar legend Ali Farka Toure’s band.
http://songhoy-blues.com/

Mammane Sani,“Ya Bismallah,” Taaritt, Sahel Sounds, Niger, 1985 – Mammane Sani plays droney synth music. This record features a constant digitized rhythm track. It’s spacey and spooky stuff. Also out on Sahel, Sani’s La Musique Electronique Du Niger, has a constant but less prominent synthesized rhythmic underbed and is way, way creepier (i.e. even better).

https://sahelsounds.bandcamp.com/album/taaritt
https://sahelsounds.bandcamp.com/album/la-musique-electronique-du-niger

Guelewar, “Wollou,” Touki Ba Banjul: Acid Trip from Banjul to Dakar, Kindred Spirits, Gambia (Senegal), 1979-1982 – This double LP is a comp of four records from this soulful psych band that in earlier iterations called themselves The Supreme Eagles and Super Alligators.

Mdou Moctar, “Tanzaka,” Afelan, Sahel Sounds, Niger, 2013 – If you’ve heard of the Tuareg version of Prince’s Purple Rain, you’ve heard of Mdou Moctar. He plays incredible trance-inducing desert guitar rock, and beautiful acoustic pieces like this one.
https://sahelsounds.bandcamp.com/album/afelan

The Semi-Colon, “True Fine Woman,” Ndia Egbuo Ndia (Afro-Jigida), Comb and Razor, Nigeria, 1976 – The Semi-Colon is a band led by Lasbrey Colon, who plays several instruments on this super-groovy, keyboard-driven non-stop party record.

http://www.forcedexposure.com/Artists/SEMI.COLON.THE.html