Yes! I know next to nothing about African music - just starting to learn about it - but I’m certain that these incredibly subtle wrinkles in time are on purpose. Willful. Being celebrated. In some songs there are beautiful little rhythmic foreshadowing events - the last note of a bassline let slip almost imperceptibly two, three times, in preparation for hitting the listener with a twist or impact. All on a barely noticeable level, interwoven.
I also feel an incredibly strong sense of collaboration in African music. Which is - I guess ironic?, in the context of the article. Painfully and poignantly. It’s interesting.
I’m going to mention Pamelo Mounk’a, M’Pongo Love, Franco, Coupé Cloué, Docteur Nico, Tabu Ley Rochereau, and Simba Wanyika/Les Wanyika, in case their music brings as rich a reward to others as it has to me. From there it goes all over the place – and Africa is big! And old! And beautiful and full of joy and subtlety and craft.
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Yes! I know next to nothing about African music - just starting to learn about it - but I’m certain that these incredibly subtle wrinkles in time are on purpose. Willful. Being celebrated. In some songs there are beautiful little rhythmic foreshadowing events - the last note of a bassline let slip almost imperceptibly two, three times, in preparation for hitting the listener with a twist or impact. All on a barely noticeable level, interwoven.
I also feel an incredibly strong sense of collaboration in African music. Which is - I guess ironic?, in the context of the article. Painfully and poignantly. It’s interesting.
I’m going to mention Pamelo Mounk’a, M’Pongo Love, Franco, Coupé Cloué, Docteur Nico, Tabu Ley Rochereau, and Simba Wanyika/Les Wanyika, in case their music brings as rich a reward to others as it has to me. From there it goes all over the place – and Africa is big! And old! And beautiful and full of joy and subtlety and craft.
Thank you for sharing. I'd love to find more of this sort of thing through HN.