Baaba Maal’s Spotify Playlist

0

Baaba Maal talks about his Africa Express playlist

Click read more for comments on each track

 

Baaba Maal’s Playlist

SHAD K – Rwanda Homecoming

0

MC Shad K grew up in Canada but his roots lie in Rwanda, the beautiful mountain nation in central Africa where his parents were born.  He was a recent headliner at the KIGALI UP festival in the Rwandan capital Kigali.  This short film, courtesy of the ‘afropolitan collective’ Illume Creative Studio, documents his homecoming…

 

Another one from Spoek Mathambo – Joy Division’s .She’s Lost Control. SA Style

0

Ian Curtis must be toe-tapping in his grave, or maybe writhing with pleasure. This version of his classic ‘She’s Lost Control’ by Spoek Mathambo is respectful and yet utterly original. Damn…the stuff that’s coming out of the SA music scene these days is quite astonishing. Credit is due to top SA photographer Pieter Hugo and cinematographer Michael Cleary for making such an inspring video…

SPOEK MATHAMBO – Video genius from SA!

0

Another weird twisted and absolutely fantastic video out of Africa, this time from the South African artist Spoek Mathambo.  They call it ‘darkwave township house.’  We call it genius!

 

MO DJ – African House…made in Africa!

0

Africa Express regular MO DJ from Bamako posted this excellent video on You Tube a few years back.  We like the Sergio Leone touches, and the fact that Mo is sampling his own culture to ignite some truly homemade African 4-to-the-floor flavour.  And you get a pretty good postcard from the Malian capital thrown in, with Roland 808s, donkey carts, and everything in between…

The Congo, where democracy is sick, but rap is slicker…

0

Whilst the tornado of democratic elections is battering the ‘Democratic’ Republic of the Congo, Congolese rappers are finding their voice. The wonderful Belgian-Congolese MC and film-maker Baloji, who strutted his flow at the African Express Soundsystem show at Standon Calling last August and is definitely out there in pole when it comes to innovation and inspiration, released his new album ‘Kinshasa Succursale’ in the UK yesterday. Could be Africa’s ‘White Album’, or a test run for it anyway. Check this article in last Sunday’s edition of The Observer:

THE OBSERVER: Baloji – “I want to make music that is very modern and very African”

But also take a look at this vid of a track called ‘Le Reveil’ (‘The Awakening’) by Kinshasa rapper Alesh, who’s coming out on the excellent Nomadic Wax label.  Like Baloji, Alesh has a flow like a fresh blade, and the sub-titles help them to slice: