Are we really ever collective?
Hit appropriate[d]: Natasha Khan
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There’s something incredibly poetic about Natasha Khan, the half Pakistani-half-British chanteuse behind mystical Bat for Lashes. Her fluttery style and floaty lyrics are transcendent, enchanting, and kind of eerie. But in all honesty, I think I like her because of her mysterious bohemianism. She’s unlike many of the Pakistani girls I grew up knowing. Her inquisitive, introspective timidity are just so endearing. And the haunting, folksy avant guarde sound of her ensemble, Bat for Lashes, is creating a new cool for art school drop-outs (as if they needed it). The Guardian`s recent chat with Natasha captures her self-deprecating tortured artist spirit, and this video for “Whats a Girl to Do” makes you wonder what world her dreams take place in:
But perhaps what’s even cooler is that she is related to Rahmat (father) and Jahangir (uncle) Khan, that formed the ultimate Pakistani Squash Dynasty-which of course meant they were household names- when I was growing up. I still remember Jahangir’s face iconized in soda ads around the country in the ’90’s. He always kind of bore a resemblance to Fido Dido.
Jahangir Khan in fierce battle
A thrashing course in afro beats.
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The Fader Issue 52
This month, The Fader has gone and done something that other magazines have only attempted, but failed at in pretty serious ways. Representing the African continent as the centre of hipster appropriation–from indie prep school musicians (“Upper West Side Soweto”) to the roots of bloghouse–with much more depth than can ever be copied. Vanity Fair’s July issue claiming “we are all African” is a best forgotten attempt at insight into the continent. Despite the gratuitous inclusion of a few African writers and attempt to bring awareness to the Dark continent along pictures of Hollywood saviors, the glossy couldn’t be saved by good intentions or high fashion.
The Fader’s special issue, though a little late if anything, illustrates not only the explosiveness of the various African music scenes, are but the diversity in the music as well. Using art to burst stereotypes is always my number one– don’t you dare roll your eyes and picture a glossy full of long dreads and hand drums; think of something much more dynamic, new, but still full of head-on body movement.
Until more recently, my knowledge of music from the continent was limited to French West African celebrities who’ve made it big in the diaspora (Amadou et Mariam, Youssou N’dour), and who have an older generation appeal–fans of Manu Chau perhaps–versus club jockeys who may listen to Diplo or Justice. This issue challenges that of course by showing us the cross over from Nigeria to Britain’s underground Garage clubs, o rthe burning up of floors in Joburg’s townships. It’s a side we rarely see (aside from the previously applauded Awesome Tapes Blog). “On danse comme on veut-we dance how we like”, as my Ouagadougouan friends would say, pretty much captures the spirit.
Like many others, In 2005 I watched Tsotsi which was my first introduction to the South African township phenomenon of Kwaito. How could something so raw, so expressive, so aggressive, so mixed be so good? It’s just one type of the hyperactivity of hypermixes in exchange across continents.
The Fader’s 52nd issue is a brave repertoire of Hiplife scenes from Accra to Soweto Kwaito clubs, to Malawian producers, to it’s transport in the diaspora. These vibrancy of talents and rooted musical thrashes are only beginning to get some well-deserved attention outside of bohemian idealizers (or those stuck on immortalizing the djembe alone without it’s variations). Undoubteldy, this music has been an influence for centuries, but it means something when a teenage girl from Cote D’Ivoire who’s diabolic Coupe Decale moves on YouTube lands the attention of MTV hip-hop video producing execs.
So what does all of this mean now that The Fader has jumped on the bandwagon? Could it be that the new breed of mixing is bound to be captured for mass reproduction and hipster-boundary line-trendy overplay land? At least this is style with substance and a penetrating sound core as authentic and original as they come.
Ethnomusicology for lovers
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I have spent two euphoric hours perusing the MP3 blog, Awesome Tapes From Africa, desperately trying to assemble what I so wish I’d managed to smuggle back with me this summer from the streets of Ouaga and Accra. Unreliable street CD vendors, and unfamiliarity with the musical masters from West Africa kept me from really digging and buying music that would encode what we were listening to in make shift Maquis’s, music halls, and street sides on a daily basis. I should have known that Tapes were the way to go. I’ll never forget the times we had to assist the DJ at Le Titanic locate that particular requested song amongst his piles and piles of Cassette Tapes. It always made me wonder what kind of musical and categorical memory you need to be a Tape Jockey relying on Rewinds and Forwards. What a way to listen to music.
This blog belongs to an ethnomusicologist who spent a number of months in West Africa collecting tapes of all genres from all types of artists. His tape-to-MP3 blog is a welcomed addition to my longing ears. I spent months trying to build a collection of music my ears had gotten so used to from the summer. Emails to my Burkina counterparts requesting names, desperate YouTubing and Googling produced unfruitful results. I was saved when I was lent some compilations of mostly Burkina specific music (Yeleen, Floby, Faso Kombat). This blog’s compilations are by no means comprehensive, but it has a pretty diverse range of downloads. Popular figures like Tiken Jah make an appearance, in addition to more obscure names like Mariam Bogayogo, although most of it tends to be more traditional with few, if any references to performers specializing in Ivorien dance sensation, coupe decalle.
