a r t i s t : VA
t i t l e : Next Stop Soweto
d a t e : 2010
l a b e l : Strut
c a t : STRUT054Cd
s o u r c e : CDDA
g e n r e : Ethnic
r l s. d a t e : Mar/2010
t r a c k s : 20
b i t r a t e : VBRkbps
s i z e : 50,5 MB
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Great Britain's Strut imprint does it again. Long rumored to
be in production, its Next Stop...Soweto series finally lifts
off in 2010 with the first of its proposed three volumes.
This one, compiled expertly by Duncan Brooker and Frances
Gooding, focuses exclusively on mbaqanga, a distinctly
township-developed sound created in the 1960s. The term
"mbaqanga" is Zulu for "steamed mealie bread." It referred to
common people's music. It was born as a reaction to the
apartheid system's rather successful campaign to rid black
culture of kwela in the early '60s, a music that offered a
distinctly African meld of its regional styles with the
American influences of jazz, soul, and blues. Mbaqanga was
born of the ban, and a new law than banned black groups from
singing in English. South African recording studios began
experimenting with traditional African pop sounds played on
electric instruments and rhythms, adding horns to an electric
guitar-bass-and-drums trio; then fusing them with different
vocal styles and dances to accompany them in performances,
creating a neo-traditional urban music for migrant workers
who were driven from rural communities to cities and
townships in order to work. This smoking hot compilation
presents a treasure-trove of that early music from 1968
through 1975 when mbaqanga began to be fused with other
styles of music, with well-known artists such as Mahlathini &
His Mahotella Queens, and Reggie Msomi & His Hollywood Jazz
Band, as well as Ingoina Le Nyathi, who recorded for imprints
as large as Columbia and King, to those who recorded for
regional imprints such as Gallo, Zebra, and Tempo. The 20
cuts included here are full of the new musical revolution's
initial male groaning sounds to its flowering with female
chorus-led groups. In addition, these cuts also reveal how
the instrumental backing began to shift (particularly guitar
styles, which became more percussive) and the rhythm --
traditionally in 8/8 -- became more fluid. The liner notes by
author David B. Coplan are both historically contextual,
beginning in the 1920s, and aesthetically engaging, as well
as informative. In addition, the compilers provide photos and
complete discographical information. This is an auspicious
beginning for what promises to be one of Strut's more
exciting series of releases. ~ Thom JurekSpin (p.90) -
"Chiming electric guitar filigrees are spun around driving,
syncopated grooves punctuated by ska-like horns."
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01-Melotone Sisters & Amaqola Ban - I Sivenoe [02:48]
02-The Mgababa Queens - Maphuti [02:44]
03-S. Piliso & His Super Seven - Kuya Hanjwa [02:35]
04-Big Four - Wenzani Umoya [03:11]
05-Mahlathini & Mahotella Queens - Umkhovi [03:26]
06-Zed Nkabinde - Inkonjane Jive [02:25]
07-Intombi Zephepha - Ingoina Le Nayathi [02:35]
08-Tempo All Stars - Take Off [02:30]
09-Boy-Nze Na Maqueens - I'smodeni [02:18]
10-Mahotella Queens - Zwe Kumusha [02:37]
11-African Swingsters - Emuva [02:33]
12-Ubhekitsche Namajongosi - Umaduna Omnyama [02:43]
13-Lucky Strike Sisters - Mr. J.S. Mpanza [02:16]
14-Aba-Lilizeli - Sikhwele [02:55]
15-Reggie Msomi & His Hollywood J - Soul Chakari [02:45]
16-Amaqawe Omculo - Jabulani Balaleli (Part 2) [02:44]
17-Piston Mahlathini & The Queens - Nomacala [02:45]
18-Sammy Boy - 10 To 11 [02:22]
19-Izintombi Zasi Manje Manje - Awofuni Ukulandela Na? [02:26]
20-Iza Wena - Happy Africa [02:40]
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53:18 min