Let's end the week with the track "Wozani Mahipi" (which I'm told means "Hippies Come to Soweto") by the group Mahlathini & Mahotella Queens off of the amazing South African Funk Experience compiled by Joan Armstrong. This compilation, which focuses on a eclectic mix of funky sounds that have spawn out of the South African region, was released by the UK label Nascente who consistently put out great releases focused on funky African, Latin, and tropical rarities. The South African Funk Experience comp, which I think is one of the label's best releases, features a number of priceless gems including the disco cut "Oh Yeh Soweto" by Teaspoon & The Waves, the soulful "Jabula's Happiness" by Jabula featuring Vicky Mhlongo , the big band jazz groover "Andromeda" by Chris McGregor’s Brotherhood of Breath, as well as funky Afro tracks from Dick Khoza, Dudu Pukwana & Spear, Malombo and many others. Really the only complaint that I have with this release is that it was only released on CD, therefore us vinyl lover's are left scrambling to hunt down all the original releases (which isn't necessarily a bad thing). Hopefully somewhere down the line, the Nascente label will consider releasing some of this material on wax. Until then, I recommend checking out the CD and/or digital version. Enjoy!Mahlathini & Mahotella Queens - Wozani Mahipi
1 comment:
A favorite track of mine.Sending a message to the hippies with a heavy rock riff.This specific track got compiled on wax at least twice,apart from the original,as far as I know.Once for the Soweto never sleeps LP on Schanachie and later on the "answer" record Duck Food,which featured the original artists Malcolm McClaren "borrowed" from for his Duck Rock album.But he was not the only one to cash in on Gazanian creativity,have a look at his Soweto video on YouTube,Janet Jackson's Got till its gone and lately Beyonce's Run The World cashing in on the Pantsula jiving that became visible through the Electro Shangaan recordings. Thanks for a great site,a favorite stopover,of course I love the African stuff of home,but for me relinking to the Motherland with especially those Spiritual Jazz tracks,makes my day ! Sahle Kahle DJ SwartsKaap
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