- How the African diaspora brought '80s Parisian dance music to life.
- In the early 1980s, Paris became a true melting pot of culture. The elections of Margaret Thatcher in the UK and Ronald Reagan in the US moved both countries to the right. Meanwhile, France moved to the left under a new government led by François Mitterrand and embraced the nation's postcolonial multiculturalism, resulting in an influx of African and Caribbean immigrants. Rather than a cultural axis of Paris, New York and London, another one emerged that connected the French capital to Brazzaville, Kinshasa, Abidjan and Douala. With
Nouvelle Ambiance, the French label of the same name documents this period via 12 dance floor hand-raisers and a 28-page booklet of glamorous photos and interviews with the scene's many movers and shakers.
Congolese soukous dominates the set, but other distinct styles are present: zouk, m'balax, disco, R&B, salsa and reggae. Take "Tcha! Tcha! Merengue," the explosive cut from Ali Baba, with its heavy zouk influence and sparkling synth accents. Or hear how the programmed handclaps and buzzing synth bass add a curious wrinkle to the traditional Baoulé beats on Antoinette Konan's "M'ackô." Just as beguiling is John Johngos's peculiar instrument, the musical arc, sounding out on the energetic bursts of "Djandè." The arc, a rare instrument that arrived in the Ivory Coast thanks to the Bantou people, is a bow-shaped wind instrument that thumps and twangs like a jaw harp. Against a backdrop of slap bass, throbbing drums and Yamaha DX7 synth stabs, the arc provides an earthy and alien sound.
It's hard to imagine a dance music fan not falling hard for the tumbling drums and sunlit guitar lines of Baba Bhy-Gao Dombia's "Dawsi," or for the chirping bird synths of Bovick & Cie's "Bazombo." In the right DJ's hands, these delights could slot easily into tough techno and house—the beats are similarly energetic, relentless and euphoric. In a time where Kode9 and Burial can pull from South African gqom, Ugandan label Nyege Nyege marry traditional rhythms and dizzying electronics, and Príncipe Discos's music brings together kuduro, kizomba and tarraxinha, this set of '80s African music, where traditional sounds were mutated by emerging Western technology, is a fascinating and ecstatic listen.
Tracklist01. Antoinette Konan - M'acko
02. Nicky Mpoto - Kamba
03. Jean Paul Mondo - Zangalon
04. Ali Baba - Tcha! Tcha! Merengue
05. Esa - A Muto
06. Empire Bakuba & Papa Tex - Livre D'or
07. Siassia & Tokobina - Mama Africa
08. John Johngos - Djandè
09. Baba Bhy-Gao Dombia - Dawsi (Instrumental)
10. Bovick & Cie - Bazombo
11. Tutu - Ayoyo
12. Jacques Lubelo - Ngando