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2010

26.12.2010
Sonic Africa wish you a Happy New Year 2011

After 2 months break when this website was off-line , sonic africa is online again. Just in time to wish you a happy New Year. Let your wishes will be fullfiled.

Makoma - Napesi ( Congolese gospel band)
Napesi Yo nde motema? na ngai (I give You my heart)
Yo moko Nzambe salela yango (You are the only God)
Na elikia na ngai napesi Yo (and my hope)

17.10.2010
Tiken Jah Fakoli released new album African Revolution

After 15 years and 10 albums Tiken Jah Fakoly releases new album African Revolution. Tiken jah Fakoly claims that this album will be completely different and surprising as this album is supposed to be a mix of reggae together with traditional african instruments. In the interview for mondomix about his new album Fakoly explains his musical and political opinions.
"As Africans we have a secret weapon: our traditional instruments. By bringing them together with reggae we created a new tradition - an original sound which is truly African" says Tiken Jah and later he continues about his view on contemporary african politics
" I’ve always been opposed to Independence celebrations in African countries, because we are not economically or politically independent. Look at Latin America: Morales or Chavez can tell Barack Obama or Sarkozy to get lost. No African head of state since Thomas Sankara or Patrice Lumumba has got up and said “Leave us alone, things are going to be different now” ".

Interview with Tiken jah fakoly
Tiken jah Fakoly - Je Dis Non ( video from the New Album African revolution )
Track Samples on Wrasse Rocords Website

Tiken Jah Fakoly songs:
Tiken Jah Fakoly - Francafrique
Tiken jah Fakoly - Plus Rien Ne M'Etonne
Tiken Jah Fakoly - African a Paris

22.8.2010
Sonic Africa - Papa Wemba Papa Wemba released new CD + DVD this summer

The Congolese star Papa Wemba released new CD this summer. It is the 36th! album from his solo career. In the 70's Papa was a member of a souokous superband Zaiko Langa Langa. In 1975 he started a solo career and soon he become one of Congolese and Africa's most popular musicians, and prominent in World music. One of the artist who are popular in his own country and in the world as well. Papa Wemba also cooperated Peter Gabriel.
In 1980 he moved to Paris. On 18 February 2003, suspected of being involved in a network that has allegedly smuggled hundreds of illegal immigrants from the Democratic Republic of Congo (former Zaire) into Europe, Papa Wemba was arrested at his home in Paris. On the song "Numéro d'écrou", Papa Wemba recalled the day "God" paid a visit to his cell. In recent years Papa Wemba moved back to Kinshasa from Paris.
Although the ups and downs in his personal life, Papa Wemba kept doing an awesome music. Music that covered many diferrent styles - from congolese rumba, chanson, salsa and even gospel to the fast and dancing tunes.

Papa is a singer blessed by a beautifull voice, that made him special and very recognizeable. You can prove it in the video links bellow.

Papa Wemba official Website (in French)
Buy "Papa Wemba - Notre Pere Rumba" Link

Notre Pere Songs:
Sapologie
Ye te Oh

Other Papa Wembas Songs

: Awa Yo Okeyi (live)
Show Me the Way (live)
Yolele
Kaokorobo

9.8.2010
Coupe Decale Sonic Africa Ambiance a Gogo: Coupe Decale Mixtape Vol. 3

Enjoy new coupe decale mix , that was made as a promo for a coupe decale night that was held in july .
For listen or download go to the download section

Also: enjoy the new video, that was made as a promo as well

Thanks to:Aya, Petra, Abdul, Dollar and Jodel:)

9.7.2010
Sonic South Africa

Hi everybody, Craig Duncan from Radio Wave here, with a World Cup guest spot for Sonic Africa on contemporary South African music.

Musically, it’s been a very strange World Cup. Hearing the official music programme, you might get the impression that South African music consists of Shakira and the vuvuzela . There’s a lot more down there – especially kwaito, South Africa’s unique fusion of hip hop, house and township pop. So, let’s take a tour of some great recent South African releases from the worlds of kwaito, hip hop, house and more.

DJ Sbu Sonic Africa We should really start this with some vuvuzelas ... and there’s plenty vuvuzela-blowing on the latest single from DJ Sbu . This one’s from his 2010 album Y-Lens Vol 3, a terrific disc of house-kwaito crossover which demonstrates why South African house music is a far more innovative genre than its conservative European cousin:
DJ Sbu – Vuvuzela Bafana

Elsewhere in South African music, several of the biggest names in kwaito have released comeback records in the last year. For one, Pitch Black Afro, the man with the craziest teeth in rap, is back with a new album called Zonke Bonke. Here’s the title track:

Pitch Black Afro – Zonke Bonke

Durban kwaito crew Skomplazi also have a new album out, Zulu Love Letter. There are some massive tunes on this disc, all in the house-heavy kwaito style of the Durban scene. Again, the title track is the first single:

Skomplazi – Zulu Love Letter

Zola, the country’s biggest kwaito star, also returned recently with his 5th album Impepho. This one’s a mixed bag: on one hand, Impepho has some great tracks in the style of Zola’s biggest hits; on the other hand, there’s some rather dull and unoriginal 2Pac-lite stuff, like the single Prophecy of the Village Pope:
Zola – Prophecy of the Village Pope
If this is the first time you’ve heard Zola, the above video is not typical! Zola does not usually whine about being rich and famous; he’s a scary man who created a uniquely South African gangsta rap iconography within kwaito, and he’s best known for classic tracks like this one, originally released in 2000:
Zola – Ghetto Scandalous feat. Amu & KB

Zuluboy continues to be ahead of the South African hip hop game with his third album Igoda. Zuluboy mixes hip hop with traditional Zulu melodies, instrumentation and beats, and his first two albums Masihambisane and Inqolobane rank among the freshest, most original hip hop releases of the 21st century. To be honest, the new album isn’t quite on the same level as the previous two, but that’s no major criticism given the extremely high quality of his back catalogue. There are no videos from the new Zuluboy album yet, so here’s a soul-flavoured track from 2008’s Inqolobane:
Zuluboy – DJ Gogo

South Africa’s most surprising global export in 2010 is the “zef-rave” internet phenomenon Die Antwoord. To clear up some of the speculation surrounding this band: no, the crazy Afrikaner rapper “Ninja” is not a real person. He’s a character created by Waddy Jones – provocateur, social satirist, and South Africa’s best-respected white hip hop artist of the last 15 years. “Ninja” is a working-class Afrikaner obsessed with mixed-race gangsta culture, and Die Antwoord is pure provocation: putting hip hop’s tendency towards racial fetishism into the most uncomfortable context possible, and satirising not only South Africa’s history of fixating upon race, but also the wider mythology of “realness” in hip hop.
Die Antwoord – Enter the Ninja

Finally on World Cup matters, New York-based global hip hop label Nomadic Wax have released a great free download single called World Cup. Recorded in studios worldwide and mixed in New York, it features 15 rappers from around the world, mostly from Africa, giving their thoughts on what the World Cup really means. Download the song here, and check out the “making of” video featuring Ghana’s M.O.A. and Zimbabwe’s Outspoken:
Nomadic Wax – World Cup

Enjoy the rest of the World Cup – and do please check out my “Friday Ripple” show on Radio Wave, every Friday at 5pm! It’s a show about “alternative music from everywhere”, and it’s packed with fresh releases from urban Africa. If you can’t catch it live, there are loads of recent shows streaming on demand in the Radio Wave archive , my official radio blog has all the related playlists, profiles and rants.