SOUL UNLIMITED Radioshow 583

Welcome to the world of soul and, in particular, music with Afro-Caribbean inspiration. The album of the week is „Esengo“ by the London Afrobeat Collective. The band name indicates the musical direction: However, the band combines its Afrobeat sound with a subtle Latin twist, which can unfold its full effect with the vocals of charismatic singer Juanita Euka. Music that immediately gets your feet moving and pure joie de vivre radiates from the grooves of this album. This is music that can definitely create moments of happiness. Great!
Liam Bailey’s new album is the second highlight of this show. The music is a harmonious combination of soul with reggae sounds and the whole thing also comes in a charming lo-fi sound that radiates a wonderful warmth. Songs that move you and you can’t get out of your head. Brilliant!
The story of Ata Kak is quite a curious one. The musician, who was born in Ghana, embarks on a journey into the diaspora, which first takes him to Germany and then to Canada. There he recorded an album, which he released as a cassette in 1994 in an edition of 50 copies. Interest was disappointingly low and only a few were sold. He gave most of the cassettes away to friends and relatives. But in 2002, the story takes a turn: Brian Shimkovitz, founder of the blog and record label Awesome Tapes from Africa, buys a copy of the cassette at a street stall in Ghana. He was enthusiastic about the music and an extensive search for Ata Kak began. It wasn’t until 2014 that the album was re-released as an LP. The songs that nobody was interested in in 1994 have since been streamed millions of times on Spotify. A belated recognition for Ata Kak, whose music has a unique charm.
William Onyeabor was also a musical pioneer who was one of the first in the Nigerian music scene to work with synthesizers and, above all, drum computers. His 1979 album „Tomorrow“ is fabulous and contains one of his best songs, „Fantastic Man“.
David Kiledjian is best known for his band Dowdelin, which I find very exciting and have therefore played here several times. Now he has released his first solo album „The Otium Mixtape“. Ten relaxed, delicate and also experimental songs that have charm. Very interesting!
Nigerian saxophonist Bukky Léo is at the start with his new album „Obedun“, six songs in remix versions by Gilles Peterson, Dennis Bovel and Leslie Lawrence, among others. Finally, I would like to recommend the concert of the band Sababa 5 on February 29th at the Merlin (Stuttgart).
Have fun listening to it!