STUDIO SIMPA: DIGITAL DANCE MUSIC ON VCD FROM DAGBON, NORTHERN GHANA

Description

Hi-energy electronic dance music from Northern Ghana, created by farmers turned musicians working out of DIY rural studios. Relentless percussion, trance loops, heavy autotune and slinky VST synths. Sourced from locally-released VCDs circulating the markets of Dagbon and entirely unavailable outside the region until now. Studio Simpa collects tracks from the past decade of the neo-traditional Dagbani dance genre - a modernized version of the traditional percussion dance - produced by Mohamed “Ebony” Fuseini, a self taught producer, recording drums on his phone and recreating the sound of traditional music via FL Studio. Collaborating with “Gawani” – flashy singers from the surrounding villages - and local VCD producers, Ebony recorded new hyper-electronic versions of simpa for the burgeoning local video market, complete with suggestive videos of women shaking their hips - light cultural transgression in the predominantly Muslim Dagbani North. The compilation showcases the top artists of the scene - Dickson Gawani, Bala Zaaku, Yaa Naara and others - across a range of style and subject, from political commentary to warrior clan rhythms. Includes extensive liner notes by Morgan Greenstreet with artist interviews, cultural history, and song translations. Debut release on the Sahel Sounds imprint Autotune the World.