Here are two Afro-centric tracks I’ve really taken a shine to lately. Unfortunately the African Sound hasn’t made its way into contemporary western music as much as a fan of this genre might wish. Sure, Paul Simon began exposing it to us in the 80’s and 90’s but beyond him, it just didn’t seem to catch on in any big way.

The highly regarded ‘blog-discovered, blog-made’ band Vampire Weekend released their first album on January 29th of this year. While their album (quite excellent, I dare say) delves into many succinct styles, they claim to be influenced by the African Sound as well as Classical Music. This track, Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa really lets that African Sound take front stage. Pretty good for a bunch of white boys from Columbia University, I dare say.

Vampire Weekend - Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa
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And then we have this beauty straight out of…Berlin? Joy Denalane is a German singer/songwriter with influences of Soul, R&B and African Folk. While her first album was released solely in German, her second album, Born & Raised was simultaneously released in both German and English in 2006. She’s been making a name for herself and has been working with the likes of Lupe Fiasco and Raekwon. When listening to this track you might think it’s straight off the soundtrack to Shaft in Africa with its 70s inspired funk… and despite the upbeat feel of the beats and grooves, the lyrics reflect a darker mood. Gotta love that bassline… and her voice? Well, you know what they say: See a broad, to get that booty yak ‘em, Leg ‘er down ‘n smack ‘em yak ‘em. Cold got to be. Can ya dig?

Joy Denalane - Soweto ‘76-’06
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