South Africa

Reuploaded 05/21/2026

 

 

South Africa has produced so much music it is hard to decide what to post. Marabi piano music from the poor black areas of Johannesburg clashed with the Afrikaans music of the ruling white apartheid Dutch. Gospel welling from the Zionist churches & Zulu a cappella & kwela penny whistle music seething from the villages met in some strange middle ground.. Smooth mbube morphed into isicathamiya as the King Star Brothers were eclipsed by Ladysmith Black Mambazo. Soul & jazz laid their funky yet cool hands on the musicians of South Africa, from Abdullah Ibrahim to Hugh Masekela. After that there was no stopping punk, disco, goth, metal, alternative rock, techno, & reggae. Musicians from other surrounding south African countries streamed into South Africa to use their great recording facilities or to boycott their own countries censorship of free music.

So...

 

We've all heard the story, four young lads from Liverpool…No, wait…from Shantytown, Orlando West, Soweto, South Africa. The Beaters were Selby Ntuli - guitar, Sipho Mabuse - drums, Alec 'Om' Khaoli – bass, & Monty Ndimande – second guitar. The group came together in 1968 while still high school students at Orlando High School in Soweto.

 

The band performed bare-foot in mandarin-collared white jackets & quickly became a hit with the urban hip black crowds in Pretoria & Johannesburg. Their first album Soul-A-Go-Go was released in 1969. American soul & jazz was assimilated into what became known as Soweto Soul. The sound was a product of so many polarities that challenged the fusion of South African identities: modern/traditional; urban/rural; north/south; foreign/local. Imagine a sixteen-year old Soweto schoolboy in 1968 identifying with the hippie movement & forming a band called The Beaters (not The Beatles as I started to say).

 

In 1974 the Beaters toured Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe). Their success turned a three-week tour into three months. Stories go that they helped smuggle liberation movement recruits out of South Africa in their amp boxes.

Following this very successful tour, the group composed "Harari", the title track named for the then Salisbury's township, later future capital of Zimbabwe, Harare. Later they recorded & released this album. This LP reflects the band's eclectic influences. The second track "Love, Love, Love" might not have been out of place at Woodstock, while the third, "Inhlupeko Iphelile" was an optimistic statement (the distress is over). It is a response to the South African Jazz classic "Inhlupeko" played by The Soul Jazzmen in 1969. "Push it On" has some soul & funk roots, "Thiba Kamo" has jazz fusion influences, & "What's Happening" is firmly rooted in the southern African ‘bump jive’ dance tradition. It is one mixed bag, for sure.

 

After the album went double gold, fans began calling the group Harari & it was assimilated. The name stuck & subsequently they continued future recordings under that name. Harari, issued on Rashid Vally's As-Shams (The Sun) label in 1975 is their fourth album after: Soul-A-Go-Go on Teal Records in 1969, Bacon & Eggs in 1970 & Mumsy in 1974 on GRC.

Hugh Masekela arranged an American tour for the band in 1978, but on the eve of their departure, Selby Ntuli died. Sipho Mabuse took over leadership of the group. They continued recording until the group disbanded in 1982. Mabuse began an especially successful solo career as Sipho 'Hotstix' Mabuse.

On Harari, The Beaters are: Selby Ntuli – guitar & vocals; Alec Khaoli – bass & vocals; & Sipho Mabuse – drums & vocals.

 

 The Beaters – Harari, As-Shams/The Sun GLS74, 1975. 

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Side 1 –

Harari

Love Love Love

Inhlupheko Iphelile

Side 2 –

Push it On

Thiba Kamoo

What’s Happening

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Ivan Kadey started the infamous seminal two-tone Afro-punk band National Wake with two brothers, Gary & Punka Khoza. The three all grew up in & around Johannesburg, but their experiences couldn't have been more different. While Ivan was raised in the white suburbs, Gary & Punka's family was forcibly moved to Soweto, when the apartheid Afrikaner government was consolidating the black population.

 

When a mutual friend introduced Kadey to the Khoza brothers in 1978, he already knew he wanted to start a band with the name National Wake. Kadey said it embodied his disillusionment with the apartheid regime. It was to serve as a call for its demise. When Kadrey met with Gary & Punka, they started jamming, & he just knew, this was National Wake. This was the band that fulfilled the promise of the name. In 1981 National Wake released its first & only self-titled album, which was just re-released this year & is available around the Interweb. Soon after the release, the band disintegrated.

 

From the ashes of National Wake, the Khoza brothers, put together a reggae band called Dread Warriors, with fellow musician Risenga Makondo who had formerly played in Amampondo. Risenga grew up in the countryside in the north of South Africa near Venda. As a kid he was a shepherd for a long time so he didn't go to school. He started playing music for money when he was about fourteen. When he was a teenager, Venda was a very dangerous place for young black men who were poor & illiterate ­like he was.

That was during the apartheid era. Also there was war going on in the neighboring countries. The South African government was using the Venda area as a recruiting ground for its war with Mozambique. Risenga headed to Johannesburg, & ended up living in Soweto in the early 1980s. That's when he first got into reggae & joined the Dread Warriors.

The Dread Warriors recorded the first reggae LP in South Africa. This is it.

 

 

  Dread Warriors – Dread Warriors, Gallo BL455, 1983.

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Side 1 -
Dread Warriors
Shigangu
Sangoma
See Them Ah Com

Side 2 -
Harvest Time
Tshindi
Dread on a Mountain Top
Reggae Music

 

 

Enjoy,

NØ

Namibia

In doing this musick around the world thing, I would be more than remiss if I didn’t post this sacred slab of magickal musick here. I may be many things, but I’m no miss, re- or otherwise. Not gonna skip this.

Making music is the most primeval form of human expression, imbued with a mystical power to communicate at an instinctual level that transcends language & speaks directly to the soul. The San Bushmen, the indigenous people of the southern African region are Africa's oldest inhabitants, having lived in the region for approximately twenty-five thousand years. For them, music & dance are not merely creative expressions, but an integral part of their being. 

This project started in the Kalahari desert in 1995. The Kalahari Desert is a large semi-arid sandy savannah in southern Africa extending 350,000 square miles, covering much of Namibia. This project was initiated by Pops Mohamed, a musician renowned for his dedication to protect & preserve the indigenous music from his homeland. Pops had been trying to find original recordings of the Bushmen music for many years. In 1995 he organized an expedition to the Kalahari to record the music of Africa's oldest inhabitants. The San involved in this project come from an area of Namibia called the Omaheke Region, bordering with Botswana.

!Gubi Tietei, tribal elder & traditional healer, along with his family, hosted the expedition. An essential element of the San cultural identity is their medicine dance & music, in which they use rhythm to heal both the individual & the collective. The medicine men have a supernatural potency within them called n/um that enables them to cure sickness. To activate this substance they dance & sing, creating sounds & a tempo that heats the n/um, causing it to rise up to their head. This evokes trance. This family of San still practice a trance-dance that goes back to the first memories of their culture, making this the oldest form of trance music in the world. The collection of songs is an integral part of a San family, their culture & worldview. Enchanting & hypnotic, these include expressions of celebration, the recalling of memories, humor, & healing.

This dance is the oldest form of meditation & enables participants to contact their ancestors by entering a state of !kia (trance). This spiritual state is accessible to all. It is an integral part of their lives, bringing the whole community together. !kia is to go into unconsciousness ('half death'), letting go of the spirit in order to commune with Gauwa (God). Tragically, after decades of systematic marginalization & dislocation, the modern world threatens these ancient people, their culture as hunter-gatherers, & their strange, beautiful music.

These songs were captured with a portable DAT using a Soundfield microphone. The music gathered provided the base for Pops' album How Far Have We Come, but also led to this raw, undiluted piece of art.

 Various - Pops MohamedPresents Bushmen of the Kalahari, MELT 2000 BW2128, 2001. 

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Tracklist –

Xan Do Do (God Help Us) - Anna Goute/Angelic Goute/Marcella !Ngube
Nxa! (Sound Of The Wild Dog) - Anna Goute/!Ngubi Goute
Nxa! (Version 2) - Anna Goute/!Ngubi Goute
Nxa! (Version 3) - Anna Goute/!Ngubi Goute
I Wish To Be A Lucky Hunter - !Ngube Goute
Hungry Man - !Ngubi Goute
Thula, Thula Thule! (Bump Me So That I Can Bump You) - Bakgalagadi Cultural Group/Sarafina Ditshabue
Chameleon - Angelic Goute/Marcella !Ngube
Lekker Ding, Lekker Daar! (Nice Thing, Nice Day) - Angelic Goute/Marcella !Ngube
A Trance Song - Angelic Goute/Marcella !Ngube  Listen  Listen
Heta! (Chorus Line) - Bakgalagadi Cultural Group/Sarafina Ditshabue
The Great Hunt - !Ngube Goute
!Kung - !Ngube Goute
Sad Song - !Ngube Goute
Honey Song - !Ngube Goute
The Cursed Woman - !Ngube Goute
Looking Back - !Ngube Goute  

Enjoy, heal, & always remember,
NØ

Botswana

The small, arid country of Botswana has not been a shining beacon of musical light. Its popular music scene has been dominated by its southern neighbor, South Africa. Yet in the late 80s a couple of bands produced records in Botswana.

This record is by Afro Sunshine. The Mogoditshane based group was formed in 1983 by Lekofi Sejeso – keyboard along with some frieds: Ricky Molefe – guitar; Gino Maposa – saxophone; Oupa Phofu –bass; & Ronnie Nkhululu - drums.  Later on the group added  vocalist Jeff Malaba & Chris Mbewe vocals & guitar.

Afro Sunshine was very popular in Gaborone, but their music never crossed many borders. Weaving strands of influences from South Africa, Ndebele Zimbabwe, soul, & even Prince-like funk, this is quite a mixed bag. This is Afrika was one of the first albums by a local group to go on sale in Botswana. It was very difficult for local artists to record due to lack of financial resources & recording facilities. Recording facilities for Botswana musicians were basically only available in South Africa or Zimbabwe.  

Afro Sunshine became one of the country's top Afro pop groups in the 80s, not only because of the scarcity of competition, but also because of their great sound & live stage-shows. Lekofi Sejeso put on a really outstanding performance on his keyboards. The crowds loved it. They released this popular recording in 1989 before the group disbanded following some misunderstandings.

The six song cassette included the track “Ma Basket” which was the hit track of the release.  The hugely talented Sejeso composed five of the six songs on the album. Gino Maposa wrote “Mmaebeke”. 

 Afro Sunshine – This is Afrika, CCMPROD 1000, 1989.  

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Side 1 –

Afro Sunshine

Tote

Sisi Langeni

Side 2 –

Mmaebeke

Ma Basket

Rebalebile

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Crackdust formed in 2006 in Gaborone, Botswana. The band originally was a three-piece with Roth – vocals & guitar, S’Bond – bass & Dlax – drums. In 2008 Lee joined the band & took over as bassist & S’Bond moved to second guitar. 

Didn’t know what to expect from a death metal band from Botswana. I guess I was actually expecting it to be kinda generic, but it’s quite unique. The production is good, no Pro Tools digital wash that is usually prevalent in 21^st Century metal releases. The sound is clear without being overly digital, so there is no muddiness. The guitars are down-tuned so the guitar tone is thick & bassy, heavily distorted. All in all it’s got a chunky & heavy 90s death metal sound. The music is not overly technical, but rather straight to the point bone-crushing death metal. It is slow-paced, but rocks hard. 16 songs in under 40 minutes. That’s one weakness this album has. Many of the songs are too short, seem to end abruptly & unnaturally. I would be expecting the song to go on, then, boom, done. The music is not overly technical, but rather straight to the point bone-crushing death metal.

I added a bonus track.

 Crackdust - DentedReality, Core Riodic Records, 2007.

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Tracklist –

Ruptured

Birth of Hatred

Dececrate

Breeding the Undead

Grind the Flesh

Mass for the Dead

Consumed

Born of the Sorcerer

Price of Truth

Deranged Psychopath

Fate

Son of Rosobola

Mortal Decay

Tainted Saints

Retribution

Bonus track –

Return of the Gods

Enjoy,

NØ

Zimbabwe

Formed in 1977, the seven-piece Kasongo Band was comprised of former Zimbabwean liberation fighters who were forced to seek exile in Tanzania before Zimbabwe’s independence. This is a great example of chimurenga from Zimbabwe. But not the typical chimurenga. Perhaps because the Kasongo Band started out while in exile in Tanzania, they picked up local influences of other East African music that helped shape their distinctive chimurenga sound.

After returning to Zimbabwe in 1980, the Kasongo Band scored a number of hits singles throughout the 80s, while their 1989 album Soko Murehwa sold more than 45,000 copies, leading them to a Group of the Year award from a local club.

The band name on the back of the cover is Knowledge Kunenyathi & Kassongo Band, highlighting the leader of the band, Knowledge K. Kunenyathi. He went solo shortly after this record was cut. Some of his songs were featured on the Zimbabwe Frontline Three. Ketai, the bands original leader, had already gone on to form the Simba Brothers together with Peter Majoni. Kentai wanted Knowledge to join the new Simba Brothers, but Knowledge wanted his chance to front the band. When he left to go solo, Marko took over the band. The original seven band members were: Ketai Muchawaya; Knowledge K. Kunenyathi; Marko Sibanda; Lee Roy Lunga; Major Mirirai; Fainos Mapurisa; & Rex MotoMoto. As well as Knowledge, Ketai Muchawaya & Marko Sibanda both went on to have solo careers. Lee Roy Lunga later joined the Chazezesa Challengers. During their history, there were in all eighteen members of Kasongo Band.

Although they broke up years ago, the Kasongo Band remains known today for their militant chimurenga style. Kasongo Hits, their greatest hits album, was released by Gramma Records in 2001.

Today all seventeen of the eighteen band members are dead. Knowledge K. Kunenyathi is the only surviving member.

 Kasongo Band – Gejo, Gramma Records  KSLP 102, 1990. 

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Side 1 –

Gejo

Vakura Wiriranai

Manyepo Kuna Sadunhu

Side 2 –

Ita Basa Sebas

Nzou Samanyanga

Isou Vanhu

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Thomas Tafirenyika Mapfumo was born in 1945 in Marondera, a small town south of the Rhodesian capital, Salisbury. He spent his first ten years living a rural life with his grandparents, tending cattle herds, waking up long before sunrise to do chores before school. Though Rhodesia was moving inexorably toward racial civil war, Thomas was living an old-fashioned, traditional life, mostly removed from the bitterness building in the cities & townships.

Thomas moved to his father’s house in Salisbury at age ten. As a teenager he began to perform as a drummer & singer playing cover tunes of US & British pop tunes. He began to explore his cultural roots in the mid 70s when he joined the Halleluiah Chicken-Run Band. Then he formed his own Acid Band which evolved into The Blacks Unlimited. By this time he was immersed in the chimurenga sound. Thomas’s lyrics reflected the concerns of the people around him, hardships in the rural areas, young men heading into the bush to fight Zimbabwe’s bitter war for independence, & the rising indignation at white rulers who had systematically devalued Shona culture for many generations.

Although traditional children’s tunes, songs of celebration accompanied by the drums called ngoma, & the sacred music of the metal-pronged mbira, an instrument whose beautiful, cycling melodies could summon the presence of ancestor spirits formed the basis of Thomas’s musical upbringing, he both created & popularized chimurenga music. Chimurenga (struggle) music captured the imaginations of Zimbanweans nation-wide during this war.

Thomas is known as ‘The Lion of Zimbabwe’ & also ‘Mukanya’ (the praise name of his clan in the Shona language) for the political influence he has wielded through his music. His slow-moving style & distinctive voice is instantly recognizable to Zimbabweans. His is a force that continues to shape the history & spiritual life of his country.

The Shona & Ndebele fighters were considered terrorists by the US & the other colonial powers, but despite the overwhelming odds, the rebels could not be defeated. Near the end of the war, the out-maneuvered Rhodesians arrested Thomas briefly. They attempted to use him to rally support for the puppet regime as a last desperate attempt to hold on to some vestige of power. But the tide of history had turned. In 1980, Robert Mugabe was elected President of the new nation.

That same year Thomas Mapfumo & The Blacks Unlimited shared the stage in Harare with Bob Marley & the Wailers in celebration of Zimbabwean independence.

In 2007 Thomas’s music was officially banned in Zimbabwe by the government he helped bring to power. His newest music included his sharp criticism of the government of President Robert Mugabe. He currently lives in political exile with his family & band in the US. Thomas continues to release music speaking out against the tide of political oppression & intrigue that is the corrupted rule of Robert Mugabe, who has morphed from freedom’s promise to cruel despot.

All the information on the band line-up is on the back cover, which I’ve included.

Thomas Mapfumo & The Blacks Unlimited – SweetChimurenga, TML 107, 1995.

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Side 1 -

Vatete

Chikende

Njodzi

Chemutengure

Side B –

Kuwanikwa Pano
Zvatakabva Kuhondo
Ndiwe Chete
Mvura Ngainaye

Enjoy the struggle, it goes ever onward,

NØ

Zambia

Well, I’m not really venturing outside my comfort zone on this one. The first music that really hipped me to Africa sounds was the great 70s Zamrock. Zamrock emerged in 1970s Zambia out of the dual influence of Jimi Hendrix's acid guitar & James Brown's funk. I still play it regularly & still really groove to it. The Witch recently re-issued all their back catalog so I’ll stick with the other mainstays: Amanaz; Ngozi Family; & The Blackfoot.

The blurb that can be found everywhere describing the record Africa by Zambian group Amanaz claims, "goes in the same direction as Blo, Witch, & Question Mark, but this album is way cooler & stoned with amazing fuzz guitar all over which sounds like an African version of early Cream."

I've listened to Blo's first album, Be Nice to the People by Question Mark, & most everything by Witch & I'd have to say I'm in total agreement. This is some of the best Zamrock I've listened to. It never really sounds dated to me.

The band was formed in 1973 by ex-members of Klasters, Black Souls, MacBeth, & Wrong Number. The quintet was made up of: Keith Kabwe - vocals, maracas, & tambourine (from Klasters); John Kanyepa – vocals, lead & rhythm guitars (from the Black Souls); Isaac Mpofu – vocals, lead, & rhythm guitars (from the Wrong Number); Jerry Mausala – vocals & bass guitar (from MacBeth); & Watson Lungu – vocals & drums (from MacBeth). A bunch of stoned cats weaned on pirate radio record an album of late 60s style psyche in 1975 in Kitwe, in northern Zambia. Very chilled out music, fuzz guitar with delicate Zambian drums & African touches that set it off from most psych stuff, moving from a semi-Africanized Loaded Velvets feel to a stripped down Iron Butterfly, even hinting at early Funkadelic, with Ginger Baker drumming, & a ramshackle underground sound & feel...raw, organic, & beautiful. Nine of the twelve songs are sung in English, the other three are in the Bantu language Bemba.

Amanaz – Africa, Shadoks Music reissue SHADOKS 097, 2008.

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Side A –

Amanaz

I am Very Far

Sunday Morning

Khala My Friend

History of Man

Nsunka Lwendo

Side B –

Africa

Green Apple

Making the Scene

Easy Street

Big Enough

Kale

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Another 70s Zambia rock group, the Blackfoot band was the flagship band for Ndola Music Parlour when live band music took the country by the storm. This doesn’t have as much fuzz guitar as the Ngozi Family or as much prog stylings as Witch, but it is solid & definitely Zamrock. This record has some traces of traditional Zambian drumming & guitar work, but comes off like an Afropop Creedence.

 The Blackfoot – The Footsteps, 1975. 

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Side A –

The Foot Steps
When I Needed You
Send Me the Flowers
Washinga Here?
Mwe Bafyashi

Side B -
Jefferson
Pumpa Joe
Lonely Highway
Sounds in My Sleep
Kanyamawodi

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Paul Dobson Nyirongo (Paul Ngozi)  was born in 1949. The first band he helped form was called the Scorpions. When that band called it quits, he joined Mosi Oa Tunya who were residing in Nairobi, Kenya. After he quit Mosi oa Tunya after only three months, Paul came back to Zambia to form the Ngozi Family Band. By this time (1975) he had earned the name ‘Ngozi’ meaning danger for his spectacular stage antics, that included playing the guitar with his teeth & because each time he took to the stage, people went crazy & there was chaos.

He immediately signaled his presence on the local scene with the siren filled hit single, “I Have Been Looking for You” b/w “We Were not Told”. The band was Paul on lead guitar, Billy Sithenge on bass (later replaced by Tommy Mwale), & Chrissy Zebby Tembo on drums). They took the Zambian music scene by storm. Ngozi Family followed up their single with the album, Day of Judgement under the Zambia Music Palour label.

Then came 45,000 Volts recorded at Nairobi’s Sapra Studios in 1977.  These albums earned Paul recognition as a insightful social commentator. The themes of his music recounted society’s own ups & downs. The lyrics are witty & poignant, they perfectly reflect the life of 1970s Zambians.The guitar is razor-sharp here. They have an almost Phil Lynott/Thin Lizzy sort of compression which sounds great next to the harder rhythms of the bass & drums. The album is a mix of English & Zambian lyrics.

Paul died in November 1989 after a short illness.

Track B4 was not included on the original 1977 issue. It is taken from an A.I.T Records (Kenya) 7" release with catalog number "Ngozi-5 ZMPC-41".

 Ngozi Family - 45,00 Volts, Nosmokerecords re-issue NS006LP, 2009. 

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Side A –

Everything is Over

Nizaka Panga Ngozi

I Will Be with You

Atate

You Don’t Love Me

Side B –

Night of Fear

Hold On

Timwenge Tabene Tabene

Chisoni Kwantzu Azimbabwe

Chenjelani

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Not going to debate the name of this. You can Google around if you want to hear all about it. Ngozi Family usually recorded under that name or Paul &… Whatever. This time (at least on this re-issue) drummer Chrissy Zebby Tembo gets top billing. He is front & center. Paul Ngozi gets to relax & noodle around in the background with Tommy Mwale on bass. The worst thing about this is not the debate over the name. The worst thing is the primitive recording quality, particularly on the vocal tracks. It all comes off kinda lo-fi garage nugget style. That being said, it is still one hell of an album. The style is as original as any Ngozi Family output, with Paul’s great fuzz guitars. In fact the instrumental parts have a strong sound, hard rock/garage rock with a progressive touch.

The back of the LP says : "Chrissy Zebby Tembo was born in Chingola 27 years ago. He started his musical career as a drummer for the Scorpions, who began three years before and are now the Ngozi family. And now Chrissy has recorded this solo album…"

A Chris Edition Production.

 Chrissy Zebby Tembo – My Ancestors, Chris Edition CL 002. 

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Side A –

My Ancestors

Trouble Maker

Lonely Night

Coffin Maker

Oh Yeh Yeh

Side B –

Fisherman

I’ve Been Losing

Feeling Good

Gone Forever

Enjoy,

NØ

 

 

Angola

Re-uploaded by request 01/09/2024.

In Angola in the period roughly 1945–74, Angolan citizens used music to talk back to their colonial oppressors & more importantly, to define what it meant to be Angolan, what they hoped to gain from independence. 

In the years between 1961 & 1975, the Luanda rock music scene sizzled. After independence came years of civil war (up until 2002 perhaps) & many Angolan musicians were murdered or fled the country. This music is from those volatile years.

A bit about some of the artists.

Carlos Lamartine - In the 1960s & 70s, Carlos Lamartine was one of the leading voices in the struggle against the Portuguese. Lamartine plays semba, a typically Angolan genre rooted in traditional carnival rhythms, such as kilapanga, rebita, kazukuta, & kabetula.

Os Bongos features the great guitarist Boto Trindade. He & his samba band were from Lobito, a town in the Benguela province but during the independence struggles they were refugees in Luanda.

Sofia Rosa was a very popular Angolan singer. He grew up in the Samba district of Luanda, where he learned the Kimbundu. He recorded his first single in 1970. He would have a stribg of hits to follow. He was particularly good at interpreting the songs of the common people, singing in Kimbundu. He moved to Lobito in 1973. In November 1975 the Unita forces took the town of Lobito. Sofia Rosa never concealed his sympathies for the MPLA. During the take-over, Sofia was murdered, probably by Unita troops.

Paulino Pinheiro was born on July 20^th, 1952 in Bembe, Uige Province. His family moved to Luanda when he was five. Growing up in Luanda he heard the music of greats like Mario Gamma, Tino Catela, Cyrene Bastos, Vum-Vum, & Duo Ouro Negro. In 1960 he formed his first band, Jovens do Catambor, playing lead guitar. When they broke up, he opted for a solo career. In 1973 he put together another band, Impérios Negros. They exploded over disagreements as to musical direction. After that Paulino played with many groups & even solo’d under the moniker Bill Black. The songs here was recorded with the backing of the fantastic Os Kiezos.

Conjunto Musangola was established in 1964 by Honorato Silva, José Maria ‘Kiavulanga’ da Silva, José ‘Kitas’ Alves, João Afonso Kipaca, Santo António Gaita, Mário Sebastião da Silva, &  Kalabeto. In the seventies, they kicked up their sound with the purchase of electric guitars & amplifiers. They created their own style of meringue that incorporated many influences.

Ruy Mingas born May 12, 1939 is an Angolan singer. He belongs to a family of influential Angolan musicians. His uncle Liceu Vieira Dias & brother André Mingas both helped re-interpret the new Angolan sound. Rui Mingas developed his own voice & Afro-funk style.

Various - AngolaFreedom Compilation

Tracklist –

Paulino Pinheiro – Rumba Rúbrica, Rebita 7" R 1105, 1973.

Os Astros – Tira Dedinho, Sêmba 7" L101, 1973.

Paulo 9 – Chezé N'Gamanda, Rebita 7" – R 1.119, 1973.

Paulino Pinheiro – Merengue Rebita, Rebita 7" – R 1105, 1973.

Os Bongos – Lembrança de Mãe, Rebita 7" – R1208, 1974.

Conjunto Musangola –Pé Descalço, N'Gola 7" LD-154, 1974.

Mamukueno – Kalumba N'Ga Kusolo, N'Gola 7" LD 151, 1974.

Armando & Africa Star – Ca Nhôs Faltam Naba, Iefe Disc IEFE 026,1974. 

Carlos Lamartine – Ene, CDA 7" – NCS-2004-CD, 1975.

Sofia Rosa –N'Gue Xile Mu Tunds Buá Faria, N'Gola – NGLP 9003, 1975.

Carlos Lamartine – Ó Dipanda Wondo Tula Kiá, CDA 7" NCS 2004-CD, 1975.

Group África Show –Lamento, N'Gola 7" NGA-199, 1975.

Dimba Dya N'Gola – Catolotolo, N'Gola – NGSLP 9005, 1976.

Ruy Mingas – Kolonial, Zip Zip 22003, 1979.          

Dimba Dya Ngola – Luanda Cidade Linda, Iefe Disc IEFE 059, 1984.

Maringa de Angola – Kua Monandengue, IEFE Disc IEFE 056, 1984.

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Alberto Teta Lando was born in1948 in M'banza Kongo, the capital city of Zaire Province in the north of Angola. His music focused on Angolan identity, the country's civil war, the saudades (nostalgia, melancholy, & longing) of Angolan exiles, as well as young love & family. He sings in both the Portuguese & the Kikongo languages.

Among his most well known songs were "Irmao ama teu irmao" ("Brother, Love Your Brother") & "Eu vou voltar" ("I Will Return"). He died in Paris, France, on 14 July 2008, after battling cancer. During the last several years of his life, he managed to re-unite a group of many Angolan musicians.

Independencia was issued shortly after Angolan independence. This is the first Angola Decca recording.

From the liner note: "1961 marks the year of the start of the struggle against colonial oppression. The people's desire for freedom spread through the countryside like bushfire. The grief and pain do not mean despair because the goal of independence was clear. This long play record launching CDA captures the chant and dress expression of an artist who is the voice of the people. The need to forget the harshness of the struggle and the joy of announcing victory is signaled. Teta Lando is devoted to the people, no-one better than he could sing Indepencencia."

Teta Lando – Independencia, Companha De Decca De Angola NALP6000, 1975.

Lado 1 -
FNLA - MPLA
Irmâo Ama Teu Irmâo
Cecília
Lulendo Mpáxi
Luvúvamo

Lado 2 -
Iémbele Iémbele
Angolano Segue Em Frente
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Flash forward!

I just found out that, according to reliable sources, rock in Angola is on the ascendancy.

There has been rock in Angola as long as Angola has been around. It has even been featured on the radio program called Volume 10 on Rádio FM/Rádio Escola for the past 17 years. It's only recently that it is truly gaining a foothold.

Arguably the very first Angolan modern rock album wasn't even released until 2006. That chunk of rock is Neblina's Innocence Falls in Decay. To this day the genre continues to attract controversy & stigma. It is perceived by many Africans as an inherently American music form that like the colonialist of the past, has come to subvert & enslave native Africans. Why this is not also the case with funk, soul, blues, & jazz begs the question. Rock is simply a variation on the blues & is universal as music is.

Of all the genres Angola has imported from beyond its borders, rock is the one that gets the most grief. Or at least is used to. As of late, rock has been gaining ground. In Luanda: more establishments are booking rock bands; & more & more people are attending. Elinga Theater, perhaps Luanda's most unique cultural venue, now hosts regular rock nights (Elinga Rock Sessions). King's Club inVila Alice, a popular hang-out with the rock crowd, not only continues to host frequent rock shows but has a growing audience & popularity as well.

There is a blog RockLuanda which keeps up-to-date information as to all things rock in the city but also in Benguela & Huambo, two other places where Angolan rock is gaining popularity. There is even a documentary called Death Metal Angola about the people behind the first ever national rock/metal concert in Angola.

Neblina might not win any awards for originality, but I like their sound, their style, & their philosophy. & they were the first in Angola, & that can never be taken from them.

On Innocence Falls in Decay, Neblina are: Mauro Neb - lead vocals & guitar; Michel Fio – guitar; Bocôlo – bass & vocals; & Thiago – drums.

 Neblina – Innocence Falls in Decay, Kriativa, 2006.

Tracklist –

Mysterious Sky
Holy Angels
Alone
My Heroin
Alphaland
Set You Free
Stairway to Heaven
Mystery in the Dark
Memories
Filhos da Pátria

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It is precisely in this favorable environment that a new Angolan rock band, Café Negro, emerged. The band Café Negro is the maturation of a project called Question Mark which formed in 2008. They play a mixture of styles: kilapanga; funk; electronic; soul; blues; & rock. This gives the band a variable personality, appealing to many tastes.

In Angola, the band has had the opportunity to play in clubs such as ZODABAR, Miami Beach, Elinga Theatre, King's Club, & Space Bahía, which exposed their music to many people, gaining them much support & many fans.

A Safra is their first release, coming out in 2011. Hopefully people outside Angola will catch the buzz from the all-Angolan ‘Black Coffee’.

Café Negro are: Irina Vasconcelos – vocals; Cláudio Hou”Ary” – lead guitar; Edy British – rhythm guitar; Mayó Bass - bass; & Jô Batera – drums.

 Café Negro – A Safra, 2011. 

Tracklist –

Universo

Run Away

Incerto

Loud 4 You

Kilapanga do Orfao

Fly with Me

Mistery

Dreams

Sinais

Fantasy

In the End

bonus tracks –

Run Away (acústica)

Loud 4 You (acústica)

Enjoy,

NØ