Following this former article, I wanted to share with your for today “Longoka“, a sweet Funky Afro Soukous Fusion Soul track from the Democratic Republic of the Congo with deep psychedelic Synth parts, taken from the 2nd & last LP of the “Trio Bydoli“, recorded in the early 80s in Ivory Coast on the legendary local label “Editions Sodogil”.

This band was composed with a bunch of three musicians (Bhy Gao, Domingo Salsero & Lea Lignanzi, who used the first syllables of their names for “Bydoli”) from Bangui (Central African Republic), but who quickly left their hometown to play & tour with several mythical Congolese musicians & groups, as Henri Bowane, Sam Mangwana, Orchestre Veve & Trio Madjesi.

Highly recommended & hard to find LP, full of great tracks in all kind of genres from Afrobeat to Blues – Hope you’ll like it, enjoy !

Trio Bydoli – Longoka (Central African Republic / Democratic Republic of Congo, 1980s, Sodogil Editions)

You can also listen to this song on my Youtube Channel here : https://youtu.be/FuwNAtxUPnU

Follow me on Instagram too for more exclusive contents : https://www.instagram.com/armand_de_preseau/

Have a nice Sunday, see you next week for another musical rediscovery !

Armand de Preseau

For today, I wanted to share with you “Ghazal” (“غزال” in Arabic or “Antelope” in English), an awesome uptempo 70s Afro Garage Twist Soul Jerk track from Sudan, taken from the first K7 tape recorded in 1977 by the legendary Sudanese composer & musician Sharhabil Ahmed (“شرحبيل أحمد” in Arabic) and released on the mythical Egyptian record label “Sono Cairo“.

Born in 1935, Sharhabil is the founder of the Sudanese Jazz scene, who dedicated his life to modernize Sudanese music, merging Surf, Rock & Funk occidental influences with Congolese music and East African harmonies (Ethiopian & Sudanese traditional rhythms) & instrumentations.

He’s also known as “The King Of Sudanese Jazz” as he won a national Jazz contest in the early 70s among with mythical Sudanese bands as The Scorpions leaded by Saif Abu Bakr (سيف أبو بكر).

Really hard to find tape nowadays, testimony of the past & piece of Sudanese heritage – Enjoy !

Sharhabil Ahmed – Ghazal (Soudan, 1977, Sono Cairo) شرحبيل أحمد – غزال

You can also listen to this song on my Youtube Channel here : https://youtu.be/ayOXvvYlTrE

Follow me on Instagram too for more exclusive contents : https://www.instagram.com/armand_de_preseau/

Have a nice Sunday, see you next week for another musical rediscovery !

Armand de Preseau

For today, I wanted to share with you “Dis Merci Ton Papa “, a deep syncopated 70s Island Sega Synth Soul track from La Reunion (Indian Ocean), taken from the second (and last) single recorded in 1977 by the Reunionese musician & performer Ray Grammont, and composed by Camille “Jacky” Lechat, another great figure from the island.

Ray Grammont was backed on that recording by “Le Club Rythmique”, a local music band formed in 1968 and leaded by the composer & musician Jean-Jacques Cladère, who was also the creator of the Disques Jackman record company (as the single presented here), and owner of the first professional recording studio of the island that welcomed by time a big part of the artists of the island (Jacqueline Farreyrol, Maxime Laope, Jacky Lechat, Marie-Armande Moutou, Pierrette Payet or Michel Adélaïde, who was also part of the band).

Funfact : Ray Grammont was the father of the French Reggae, Soul, Ragamuffin and Gwoka musician & singer David “Tonton David” Grammont, one of the best French figures of the 90s era !

Hope you’ll like this daily rediscovery, enjoy !

Ray Grammont – Dis Merci Ton Papa (La Reunion, 1977, Disques Jackman)

You can also listen to this song on my Youtube Channel here : https://youtu.be/qzdWxjxCQDo

Follow me on Instagram too for more exclusive contents : https://www.instagram.com/armand_de_preseau/

Have a nice Sunday, see you next week for another musical rediscovery !

Armand de Preseau

Following this former article, I wanted to share with you for today “Pot Pourrit De Guajira“, a gorgeous 70s Afro Cuban Latin Soul Fusion track from Senegal, taken from one of the several albums recorded by the mythical Senegalese Band “Orchestra Baobab” (spelt here “Orchestre Baobab Gouygui De Dakar”), formed in the early 1970 and famous for merging Cuban Music with traditional West African Wolof Griot culture and the Mandinga musical traditions of the Casamance in an Afro Cuban, Afro Latin & Afro Pachanga style.

Still touring today, the band features the following musicians :

Barthelemy Attisso : Guitar, Arrangements ;

Medoune Diallo : Lead Vocals, Maracas, Arrangements ;

Charles Antoine N’Diaye : Bass Guitar ;

Peter Udo : Clarinet, Alto Saxophone ;

Mountaga Koite : Congas (Tumbas), Drums ;

Papa Ba : Guitar ;

Issa Cissoko : Leader, Tenor Saxophone ;

Balla Sidibe : Timbales, Vocals ;

N’Diouga Dieng, Rudolphe « Rudy » Gomis : Vocals, Percussion ;

The album presented today is one of my favorite from the band, nice exampled of their ability to merge all styles – Hope you’ll like it, enjoy !

Orchestre Baobab Gouygui De Dakar – Pot Pourrit De Guajira (Senegal, 1979, Discafrique Records)

You can also listen to this song on my Youtube Channel here : https://youtu.be/QSHhLs6XAWM

Follow me on Instagram too for more exclusive contents : https://www.instagram.com/armand_de_preseau/

Have a nice Sunday, see you next week for another musical rediscovery !

Armand de Preseau

Following this former article, I wanted to share with you for today “Fin Vacances“, an obscure laid back minimal Afro Synth Electronic Soul track from Togo a la William Onyeabor, taken from the only album recorded in the early 80s by the Beninese musician “Agbo Bruno Vikass“, that includes the following musicians :

Agbo Bruno Vikass : Composition, Vocals, Producer, Rhythm Guitar ;

Noel Houmbiye (from the band “Noel & Mathilde” I talked about here https://youtu.be/5hTXPVLZ5mQ) : Lead Guitar ;

John Migan : Drums, Arrangements ;

Camice : Bass Guitar ;

Tomi : Organ ;

Really deep & usunual track, hope you’ll like it – Enjoy !

Agbo Bruno Vikass – Fin Vacances (Benin, 1980s, Les Editions A.B.V)

You can also listen to this song on my Youtube Channel here : https://youtu.be/s1ZToYLBBPg

Follow me on Instagram too for more exclusive contents : https://www.instagram.com/armand_de_preseau/

Have a nice Sunday, see you next week for another musical rediscovery !

Armand de Preseau

For today, I wanted to share with you “Kpalanuma“, a mind-blowing 70s Highlife Soul track from Nigeria with Afrobeat influences & instant catchy horn & synth parts, taken from one of the several albums composed by the very prolific Nigerian composer & musician St. Augustine Anwunzia backed by his “Rovers International“, recorded in 1978 on the Nigerian branch of the mythical label “Polydor”.

St Augustine’s albums are known to be upper-class Highlife, but that one remains my favorite, blending many genres as it contains outstanding Afrobeat, Highlife but also Reggae tracks.

More, it features some of the greatest Nigerian & Cameroonian composers of that era, as :

St. Augustine Anwunzia : Lead Vocals, Composition, Arrangements ;

Tony Bonny Wailer, Johnny Woode : Drums ;

Frankie Ntoh Song : Guitar Synthesizer ;

Fred Fisher Atalobhor  : Trombone ;

Willie Nfor : Bass Guitar ;

Joe Chiejina : Maracas ;

Andrew Kisito : Vocals ;

Abi John : Lead Guitar ;

Jossy Egele : Congas ;

Sharp Mike : Trumpet ;

Killer album from start to finish, hope you’ll like it – enjoy !

St. Augustine & The Rovers International – Kpalanuma (Nigeria, 1978, Polydor Nigeria)

You can also listen to this song on my Youtube Channel here : https://youtu.be/Hq69T1vH96w

Follow me on Instagram too for more exclusive contents : https://www.instagram.com/armand_de_preseau/

Have a nice Sunday, see you next week for another musical rediscovery !

Armand de Preseau

Following to this former post, I wanted to share with you for today “Yumbeye“,  a deep bouncy 70s West African Psychedelic Mbalax Fusion Jazz Funk track from Senegal with crazy organ parts, taken from the first album of the Senegalese band “𝐋𝐞 𝐗𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐦” founded in 1965 by the songwriter & guitarist Sakhir Thiam.

By the time, the members of the group have changed several times, including legendary artists as Idrissa Diop, Cheikh Tidiane Tall and Thierno Koité.

This LP includes the following musicians :

Georges Dieng (solo Guitar) ;

Sanoussi Sidibe (Rhythm Guitar) ;

Serge Alvez (Bass) ;

Henry Guillabert (Organ) ;

Moussa Diongue (Vocals) ;

Ibrahima Conudoul (Vocals) ;

Xalifa Cisse (Congas, Vocals) ;

Abdou Mboup (Percussion);

Prosper Niang (Drums) ;

Tonia Lo (Saxophone, Vocals) ;

Cheikh Diop (Trumpet) ;

Jean-Pierre Gandour (Guitar, Vocals) ;

Recorded live in June 1975 at “Le Sangomar” night club in the city of Thies, you can really feel you can really feel a special energy emanating from this beautiful album.

And we didn’t mention this gorgeous cover !

Highly recommended album from start to finish, hope you’ll like it, enjoy !

Le Xalam – Yumbeye (Senegal, 1975, Musiclub)

You can also listen to this song on my Youtube Channel here : https://youtu.be/tLGH2C9hQdA

Follow me on Instagram too for more exclusive contents : https://www.instagram.com/armand_de_preseau/

Have a nice Sunday, see you next week for another musical rediscovery !

Armand de Preseau

Following this former article, I wanted to share with you “Djamban“, an incredible mesmerizing 70s Afro Mandingo Jazz Soul track from Mali with gorgeous horn & guitar parts, taken from one of the first albums recorded in 1975 by the mythical Malian band “Rail Band” (also known as “Orchestre Rail Band” or “Orchestre du Buffet Hotel de la Gare de Bamako” because the band played there twice a week) leaded by the legendary Malian composer & saxophonist Tidiani Kone (who also played for with Beninese kings from the “Orchestre Poly Rythmo de Cotonou”).

Pressed in Nigeria, this album is part of the very well known “Rail Band Series” (this one is the 4th volume), and features some of the bests Malian & West African musicians (Gambia, Senegal, Mauritania, …) from that era as :

Tidiani Kone : Leader, Saxophone ;

Djelimady Sissoko : Vocals ;

Djelimady Tounkara : Lead Guitar ;

Cheick Traoré : Bass Guitar ;

Moussa Koné : Bongos, Trumpet ;

Abdouramane Koumané : Congas ;

Mamadou “Pacheco” Bagayoko : Drums ;

Dielly Moussa Kouyaté : Guitar ;

Mory Kanté : Lead Vocals ;

Alfred Coulibaly : Organ ;

Maitre Lédy Youla : Sopranino Saxophone ;

Really hard to find album nowadays, that I found a few years ago during a record digging trip in Nouakchott (Mauritania). I had the great honor to got it from Mr Mohamed Vall, one of the very few record collectors from the country, who used to run “Le Saphir D’Or”, the only record store in Mauritania opened in the 1979 until the early 2000s (for more informations, I interviewed him here).

And cherry on the cake : this sublime artwork – Hope you’ll like it, enjoy !

Rail Band – Djamban (Mali, 1975, RCAM)

You can also listen to this song on my Youtube Channel here : https://youtu.be/PhCD9gPmtm8

Follow me on Instagram too for more exclusive contents : https://www.instagram.com/armand_de_preseau/

Have a nice Sunday, see you next week for another musical rediscovery !

Armand de Preseau

For today, I wanted to share with you “Mi Amor De Todos Dias“, an awesome Afro Cuban Salsa Latin Soul gem from Benin with killer horns part, taken from the only release of the beninese duet Noel Houmbiye & Mathilde Yanclo recorded in Cotonou in the late 70s, composed by the legendary beninese musician Ignace De Souza and backed by the mythical “Black Santiagos” Orchestra.

That recording is almost impossible to find nowadays unfortunately, this is why I wanted to share it with you today.

One of the best track of the genre from the African Continent from that era, always a huge dance floor stormer when I play it in clubs, hope you’ll like it – Enjoy !

Noel Et Mathilde – Mi Amor De Todos Dias (Benin, 1980s, Editions Big Junior)

You can also listen to this song on my Youtube Channel here : https://youtu.be/5hTXPVLZ5mQ

Follow me on Instagram too for more exclusive contents : https://www.instagram.com/armand_de_preseau/

Have a nice Sunday, see you next week for another musical rediscovery !

Armand de Preseau

For today, I wanted to share with you “Keep On Dancing“, an instant killer Afro Disco Boogie track from Ghana, recorded in 1979 by the composer & musician Kofi “Kiki’ Kwarko Gyan, keyboardist of the legendary band Osibisa that was popular in the 1970’s.

Multi-instrumentist Kiki Gyan recorded three albums and a couple of singles between 1979 & 1983, and was considered by many as Africa’s answer to Stevie Wonder.

For today, I’m glad to share with you this instant feel-good song, that will set any dance floor on fire. Hope you’ll like it, enjoy !

Kiki Gyan – Keep On Dancing (Ghana, 1979, Boom Records)

You can also listen to this song on my Youtube Channel here : https://youtu.be/16sqt7osZJc

Follow me on Instagram too for more exclusive contents : https://www.instagram.com/armand_de_preseau/

Have a nice Sunday, see you next week for another musical (re)discovery !

Armand de Preseau