![Interview: King Ayisoba [April 2017]](https://www.rhythmpassport.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/king-ayisoba-335x209.jpg)
King Ayisoba, as his name states, is the king of Ghanaian music. He plays his sacred kologo, a two-stringed wooden instrument, like no one else does and the energy and power of his singing are able to reach everyone indiscriminately. On March 31st he released for Glitterbeat Records his latest...
Tag Archives: Ghana
A great revival in music is always well received, especially when the artist is as joyous to watch as Ata Kak. Disappearing into near obscurity since the release of underground game changer, Obaa Sima in 1994, Ata’s infectious concoction of leftfield rap, lo-tech house beats and hiplife flavours make for...
![Album Review: King Ayisoba – 1000 Can Die [Glitterbeat Records, 31st March 2017]](https://www.rhythmpassport.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/a3149356926_10-335x335.jpg)
It’s very interesting to observe how contemporary sounds meet the heritage of tradition, especially in African countries, which are rapidly embracing the advantages of modernity, while still enjoying deep ties to their ancestral cultures and customs. Ghanaian singer and kologo player King Ayisoba does exactly that, but inverts the formula;...
![Album Review: Ata Kak – Obaa Sima [Awesome Tapes From Africa, 3rd March 2015]](https://www.rhythmpassport.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/maxresdefault-3-335x336.jpg)
Whether in Ghana or anywhere else really, a man wearing a denim shirt, hat, and dark sunglasses on a front cover of an album is an invitation to jovial crowd music, and that’s exactly what Ata Kak’s Obaa Sima both promises and is. The songs on this album are electronic...
Originating in Ghana but with roots also placed firmly in Nigeria, Highlife music has had a major impact on modern African music since its birth in the 1920’s. Originally performed in small clubs and on street corners by brass bands, musicians gradually began incorporating vocals and jazz elements, usually driven...
![Album Review: Sk Kakraba – Songs of Paapieye [Awesome Tapes from Africa, 2nd October 2015]](https://www.rhythmpassport.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/atfa018lp_coverlowres-335x335.jpg)
Instantly, a mysterious and fascinating percussive sound appears, full of intricate rhythms, low and dense drones, overlapping melodies and bass patterns, all of which signal originality, improvisation, tradition, virtuosity, coherence and expressivity. These are the immediate components that can be heard from Sk Kakraba through his masterful performance of the Gyil xylophone. Gyil performer, builder,...
![Album Review: DJ Katapila – Trotro [Awesome Tapes from Africa, 19th February 2016]](https://www.rhythmpassport.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/atfa019-dj-katapila-art-335x335.jpg)
DJ Katapila is a popular Ghanaian DJ and producer. In the context of Ghana’s pop music landscape, Katapila’s music is singular. His unique works would otherwise be unrecognised and under-celebrated, both in the west and his native Ghana, if it wasn’t for the diligent work of Brian Shimkovitz of Awesome...
