lockdown : vinyl find #45.

I should have written about a 45rpm. I know... but our habits and logic are upside down, so the post is about a LP. 

African music is something I have put aside for a while, and there's an explanation for this : I'm afraid of getting lost if I start digging. There are so many genres, so many records, a lot of them in terrible condition. I know it could be a beautiful journey to browse and acquire the knowledge I'm lacking, but it's just frightening when you realize the task. 

December 2016 was my first time visiting the Brussels Record Fair, held at the Ravenstein Gallery. I've said it before, it's glorious. Though cold and windy (thank you Lord, they have a summer fair as well), the fair is unmissable for anyone in the area. It's not negotiable. There was this guy with crates filled with African records in amazing condition compared to what one would usually find on the second-hand market. Near mint records, a lot of them coming from Portuguese labels, so I knew it would be music from the former Portuguese colonial empire, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, Angola. I immediately thought it would be a good first foot in this incredible field that is African music. 

So I picked this one, by Saba Mini-amba, a band from Guinea-Bissau. I noticed the almost perfect condition and many copies in the crates, and the guy explained : he had found a dead stock in Lisbon. Lucky dude. He may still have a few to this day. I used to see him at several flea markets around Brussels as well, with the same crates. 

Though a bit expensive when I bought it, this record contains the flavors I was looking for and remains a sound purchase for an introduction to the soukouss and cadence styles. The band has a typical line-up, comprised of guitar, bass, drums, congas, but at times offers strange effects, in a psych-fuzz way. Though don't expect long psych parts, it's not what we're talking about here. It is a soft album, musically and vocally. Danceable nonetheless.  

Saba Mini-amba - Saba Mini-amba.

Here's the full album, as a YouTube playlist.