African Music rapidshare

sismis_bajro · Super User!!

Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika
Classic Xhosa Version

The first verse and chorus of this version are the original words composed by Sontonga in 1897. The remaining verses were added in 1927 by Samuel E Mqhayi.

Nkosi, sikelel' iAfrika;
Malupakam'upondo lwayo;
Yiva imitandazo yetu
Usisikelele.
Chorus
Yihla Moya, Yihla Moya,
Yihla Moya Oyingcwele
Sikelela iNkosi zetu;
Zimkumbule umDali wazo;
Zimoyike zezimhlonele,
Azisikelele.
Sikelel' amadod' esizwe,
Sikelela kwa nomlisela
Ulitwal'ilizwe ngomonde,
Uwusikelele.
Sikelel'amakosikazi;
Nawo onk'amanenekazi;
Pakamisa wonk'umtinjana
Uwusikelele.
Sikelela abafundisi
Bemvaba zonke zelilizwe;
Ubatwese ngoMoya Wako
Ubasikelele.
Sikelel'ulimo nemfuyo;
Gxota zonk'indlala nezifo;
Zalisa ilizwe ngempilo
Ulisikelele
Sikelel'amalinge etu
Awomanyano nokuzaka,
Awemfundo nemvisiswano
Uwasikelele.
Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika;
Cima bonk' ubugwenxa bayo
Nezigqito, nezono zayo
Uyisikelele.

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sismis_bajro · Super User!!

Ladysmith Black Mambazo
Shaka Zulu

Artist: Ladysmith Black Mambazo
CD title: Shaka Zulu
Released date: 1987
Number of Discs: 1
Genre: Ethnic
Sub-genre: Isicathamiya
Total size: 48,5 MB
Info: Cover-art included

Tracks:
01. Unomathemba [00:03:48]
02. Hello My Baby [00:03:09]
03. At Golgotha [00:03:56]
04. King Of Kings [00:04:07]
05. Lomhlaba Kawunoni (The Earth Never Gets Fat) [00:02:55]
06. How Long? [00:03:05]
07. Ikhaya Lamaqhawe (Home Of The Heroes) [00:03:13]
08. Yibo Labo (These Are The Guys) [00:04:39]
09. Rain, Rain, Beautiful Rain [00:02:18]
10. Wawusho Kubani? (Who Were You Talking To?) [00:05:32]

@VBR mp3

The traditional music sung by Ladysmith Black Mambazo is called ISICATHAMIYA (Is-Cot-A-Me-Ya). It was born in the mines of South Africa. Black workers were taken by rail to work far away from their homes and their families. Poorly housed and paid worse, they would entertain themselves, after a six-day week, by singing songs into the wee hours every Sunday morning. Cothoza Mfana they called themselves, "tip toe guys", referring to the dance steps choreographed so as to not disturb the camp security guards. When miners returned to the homelands, the tradition returned with them. There began a fierce, but social, competition held regularly and a highlight of everyone's social calendar. The winners were awarded a goat for their efforts and, of course, the adoration of their fans. These competitions are held even today in YMCA assembly halls and church basements throughout Zululand South Africa.
The name LADYSMITH BLACK MAMBAZO came about as a result of winning every singing competition in which the group entered. "Ladysmith" is the hometown of the Shabalala family; "Black" references the black oxen, considered to be the strongest on the farm. The Zulu word "Mambazo" refers to an ax - symbolic of the group's ability to "chop down" the competition. So good were they that after a time they were forbidden to enter the competitions but welcomed, of course, to entertain at them.
Their first album release for the United States, "Shaka Zulu", was produced by Simon Garfunkel and won the Grammy Award in 1987 for Best Traditional Folk Recording.

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sismis_bajro · Super User!!

Tinariwen
The Radio Tisdas Sessions [2000]

Artist: Tinariwen
CD title: The Radio Tisdas Sessions
Released date: 2000
Number of Discs: 1
Genre: Ethnic
Total Time: 00:52:04
Total size: 94,7 MB

Tracks:
01. Le Chant Des Fauves [00:07:32]
02. Nar Djenetbouba [00:04:46]
03. Imidiwaren [00:06:26]
04. Zin Es Gourmeden [00:05:22]
05. Afours Afours [00:05:27]
06. Tessalit [00:03:58]
07. Khedou Khedou [00:06:12]
08. Mataraden Anexan [00:05:47]
09. Bismillah [00:04:22]
10. Tin-Essako [Live] [00:02:08]

@256 Kbit/s mp3

Info:
Tinariwen is a band formed in 1982 in Moammar al-Qadhafi's camps of Touareg rebels. They play in the Tishoumaren ("music of the unemployed") style, and sing mostly in the French and Tamashek languages. Their songs mostly cover the subject of independence for their people from the government of Mali. They are said to be the first Tuareg band to use electric guitars.
Having recorded many albums available on cassette over their eighteen years, the group recorded their first album for the CD format in December of 2000; the album was known as The Radio Tisdas Sessions and was their first recording available outside of Africa.
The Western world first took great notice of Tinariwen due to their performance at Le Festival au Désert, a musical festival held in Tin-Essako, Mali, a remote region of the Sahara Desert, in January of 2001.
The band released a second album, Amassakoul ("Traveller") in 2004, and played concerts in Europe (where they performed one of the highlights of the 2004 Womad Reading ) and the United States to support the album.
Tinariwen's new album entitled Aman Iman, meaning "Water is Life", was released in February 2007. A 52 minute documentary called Teshumara, or the guitars of the revolution recently played in movie theaters in Europe. It tells the history of the Tuareg rebellion and the role played by Tinariwen in this struggle for freedom. Combined with Amassakoul, it's been released as the CD/DVD combo The Soul Rebel Of African Desert.

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sismis_bajro · Super User!!

Busi Mhlogo & Twasa - Babhemu

Album : Babhemu
Artist : Busi Mhlogo & Twasa
Release Date : 1994
Number of Discs: 1
Genre : World
Total time : 00:53:31
Total size : 122 MB

Tracks :
1. Izinziswa
2. Ting-Tingu
3. Unomkhubulwane
4. Umenthisi
5. Shosholoza
6. Mfazonga Phesheva
7. Ujantshi
8. Ntandane
9. Babhemu

@ 320 Kbit/s mp3

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sismis_bajro · Super User!!

Introducing Etran Finatawa

Album : Introducing Etran Finatawa
Artist : Etran Finatawa
Release date : 2006
Label : World Music Network
Number of discs : 1
Total size : 113 MB
Total time : 00:49:28

Tracks :
1. Surbajo
2. A Dunya
3. Iledeman
4. Aliss
5. Maleele
6. Iriarer
7. Ekenan
8. Anadjibo
9. Ronde
10. Heeme

@ 320 Kbit/s mp3

Etran Finatawa combine the rich nomadic cultures of the Tuareg and Wodaabe people from the West African country of Niger – a region that for thousands of years has served as a crossroads between the Arabs of North Africa and the sub-Saharan traditions. Etran Finatawa blend traditional instruments with electric guitars, combining the polyphonic songs of the Wodaabe people with modern arrangements, transporting you to the Sahara with their evocative sound.

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sismis_bajro · Super User!!

Mila na Utamaduni
Spices of Zanzibar

Album : Spices of Zanzibar
Artist : Mila na Utamaduni
Release date : 1998
Label : Network Germany
Number of discs : 1
Total size : 162 MB
Total time : 01:11:01

Tracks:
1. Bashraf Salama
2. Mapenzi Matamu
3. Nguzo Mbovu
4. Unalo
5. Bashraf Chaguo
6. Umbo Langu Dawa
7. Hata Nawe Useme
8. Sishituki
9. Haya Maumbile Yangu

@320 Kbit/s mp3

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sismis_bajro · Super User!!

Stella Chiweshe
Talking Mbira

Album : Talking Mbira
Artist : Stella Chiweshe
Release date : 2002
Number of discs : 1
Genre : World
Total size : 81 MB
Total time : 01:01:16

Tracks :
1. Artistes
2. N'Garbamama
3. Maky
4. Farafina (Africa)
5. Forobana
6. Souaressi
7. Mon Amour
8. Soy Te Aw La
9. Signana
10. Mansani Cisse

@ VBR mp3

Amazon.com
Plenty of artists claim to play "trance music," but Zimbabwe's Stella Chiweshe delivers the genuine article. Portions of her repertoire come straight from the religious rituals of the Shona people, and audience members at her concerts have claimed spontaneous healings or visits from spirits in response to the beautiful melodies she coaxes from her mbira "thumb piano." Even if you don't experience supernatural effects, a few moments of Chiweshe's delicate but powerful playing will surely raise your bliss levels by a factor of 10. She pioneered the practice of blending mbiras and marimbas in ensemble performances and is the most famous woman band leader in Zimbabwe. Talking Mbira shows her in full command of her talents. The nicely balanced blend of material ranges from the tradition-based opening song "Ndabaiwa" to modern fare like "Chachimurenga," a chimurenga liberation song that gets a "Future Mix" dub-style treatment courtesy of Hijaz Mustapha of the 3 Mustaphas 3. Inspired by dream visits from her late brother, Elfigio, Chiweshe layers her meditative mbira on "Ndangariro" for a densely interwoven sound more intricate than a tapestry. "Paite Rima," a plea for world peace addressed to potent lion spirits, eschews instrumentation for stirring vocal harmonies reminiscent of Zulu songs, while "Tapera" uses deeply textured mbira and a distant chorus to lament the natural disasters and political turmoil of her home country.
--Bob Tarte.

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sismis_bajro · Super User!!

Salif Keita - Moffou

Album : Moffou
Artist : Salif Keita
Release Date : 2002
Label : Decca
Number of Discs: 1
Genre : World
Total time : 00:59:16
Total size : 68,5 MB

Tracks :
1. Yamore
2. Iniagige
3. Madan
4. Katolon
5. Souvent
6. Moussolou
7. Baba
8. Ana Na Ming
9. Koukou
10. Here

@ VBR mp3

Amazon.com
Salif Keita made his name with Rail Band and Les Ambassadeurs, but he gradually veered away from re-Africanized Latin tunes to explore his Mande birthright. Then, in the late 1980s, he released Soro, a potent blend of traditional sources, Western pop, and savvy studio electronica that took the international market by storm. There have been other high points since then, but on Moffou, what went before is consolidated and transformed via the depth and patina of an artist in his prime. The set opens with a slinky, accordion-laced duet between Keita and Cape Verdean diva Cesaria Evora, but quickly moves on to the soulful Malian acoustic ballads that form the heart and soul of this masterpiece. Other tunes recall the insouciant heyday of Paris-posse Afropop, but minus that era's banal production values. Keita's voice is magnificent throughout; alternately silky, sensual, and ethereal, it floats amid Kante Manfila's intuitive settings like incense.
--Christina Roden

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sismis_bajro · Super User!!

Antoine Moundanda & Likembé Géant
Késse Késse

Album : Késse Késse
Artist : Antoine Mountanda & Likembé Géant
Release Date : 1998
Number of Discs: 1
Genre : World
Total time : 00:48:58
Total size : 112 MB

Tracks :
1. Retraite
2. N'Sangou
3. Kouelohele
4. Bako
5. Kesse Kesse
6. Havachibora
7. Liwa
8. Wali Ti Mbi
9. Cheu
10. Mancongo

@ 320 Kbit/s mp3

Amazon.com
Congolese musician Antoine Moundanda is one of the giants of African music, and his 1950s recordings with his band Likembe Geant helped lay the foundation for the soukous revolution of the 1960s and 1970s. Moundanda is a master of the thumb piano, or likembe in the local dialect, and Kesse Kesse, which was recorded live in 1997, offers ample proof that even in his late 60s his power as a musician is undiminished. Likembe Geant was one of the first groups to blend local music and instruments with imported styles like Cuban rumba. On tracks like "Kesse Kesse" and "Mancongo," Moundanda and his two bandmates weave rippling Congolese melodies and driving Caribbean rhythms into a marvelous tapestry of sound. Unlike most modern Congolese musicians, Likembe Geant eschew European instruments like electric guitars, horns, and keyboards in favor of their own native thumb pianos. They may not be as loud as a contemporary soukous band, but Likembe Geant more than make up for the lack of volume with the intensity of their singing and the passion of their playing.
--Michael Simmons

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akhilleus · Newbie

Great! More to add to the collection. Do you have Toumani Symmetric Orchestra? Can't find a good copy and my CD is scratched to hell. One of my favourite albums

sismis_bajro · Super User!!

sismis_bajro · Super User!!

Benin
Rythmes et chants pour les vodum

Album : Bénin – Rythmes et chants pour les vodum
Artist : Various Artists
Release Date : 1990
Label : VDE-Gallo
Catalog # : CD-612
Genre : Ethnic
Total time : 01:10:31
Total size : 161 MB

Tracks :
1. Polyrythmie pour Hevioso
2. Rhythme ternaire
3. Polyrythmie
4. Rythme nago/yoruba
5. Chant (gbigbo wiwe)
6. Chant (Histoire de Bonou)
7. Corège et trompes
8. Chants sur Adjahuto
9. Motifs rythmiques pour Sakpata
10. Rythme d'attente
11. Chants et rythmes après la (sortie)
12. Orchestre de Fâ
13. Légendes et chants sur Fâ

@320 Kbit/s mp3

Diverse selection of field recording made in Benin during the 70's of Vodou ceremonies. 24 page insert explains the recordings in detail and includes some rhythmic transcriptions.

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sismis_bajro · Super User!!

Daby Balde
Inroducing Daby Balde

Artist: Daby Balde
CD title: Introducing Daby Balde
Release date: 2005
Label: Introducing/World Music Network
Number of Discs: 1
Genre: World
Type: MP3 format sound
Quality: 320Kbit
Time: 01:05:33
Total size: 151 MB
MPEG Video: [00:05:58] [384x288 pixels] [59,4 MB]

Tracks:
1. Mamadiyel
2. Heli
3. Kaye Waxma
4. Tamania
5. Waino Blues
6. Sora
7. Mbadi
8. Halaname
9. Fouladou
10. Douna
11. Hakurujamane
12. Mbeugel
13. Mido Waino

More info:
If there's one area of Africa where great musicians tend to get decent coverage in the west, it's the neighbouring west African states of Senegal and Mali. Surprising, then, that Daby Balde slipped through the net. He's a fine singer from Cassamance, in the south of Senegal, and though he is well known back home he is only now beginning to win international recognition.
Like Salif Keita, Balde struggled to become a musician despite objections from his noble family. His distinctive, laid-back vocals are backed by the subtle textures of an impressive acoustic band, with kora and guitars matched against fiddle work, added later in Belgium. The only problem with Balde's debut album is the lack of variety. Having discovered a gently rhythmic, easy-going style, he simply sticks with it. Taken individually, though, the songs are superb, which is why Balde deserves his second appearance of the week, providing the opening track on Sound of the World (Wrasse), the annual world music round-up by Charlie Gillett. Here, Balde appears alongside his compatriot Youssou N'Dour, and other celebrities including Mali's Amadou and Mariam. If he's this good playing live, and can vary the mood of his work, he could start to receive the same sort of recognition.
________________________________________

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sismis_bajro · Super User!!

Habib Koite
Afriki

Album : Afriki
Artist : Habib Koité & Bamada
Release Date : 2007
Number of Discs: 1
Genre : World
Total time : 00:45:59
Total size : 105 MB

Tracks :
01. Namania
02. N'tesse
03. Africa
04. Fimani
05. N'ba
06. Mali Ba
07. Barra
08. N'Teri
09. Nta Dima
10. Massake [
11. Titati

@ 320 Kbit/s mp3

After a six-year absence from the recording studio, Malian guitarist Habib Koité and his band Bamada return this fall with a stunning new album, Afriki. With more than 250,000 albums sold around the globe, an appearance on Late Night with David Letterman, a duet with Bonnie Raitt on her 2001 album Silver Lining and nearly a thousand concerts on some of the world’s most prestigious stages under his belt, Habib Koité is one of Africa’s most beloved and popular musicians. Afriki, which will be released by Cumbancha on September 25th, 2007, features an appealing set of songs that reflect Habib’s unique and innovative approach to the diverse styles of Malian music.

Habib Koite is known for his unique approach to playing the guitar. He tunes his instrument to the pentatonic scale and plays on open strings as one would on a kamale n'goni. At other times Habib plays music that sounds closer to the blues or flamenco, two styles he studied under Khalilou Traore, veteran of the legendary Afro-Cuban band Maravillas du Mali. Unlike the griots, his singing style is restrained and intimate with varying cadenced rhythms and melodies. His supporting cast, Bamada, is an explosive super-group of West African rhythm section talent.

"Nobody really taught me to sing or to play the guitar," says Habib Koite. "I watched my parents, and it washed off on me." Koite was headed for a career as an engineer, but on the insistence of his uncle, who recognized Habib's musical talent, he enrolled at the National Institute of Arts in Bamako, Mali, launching his twenty-year career.

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sismis_bajro · Super User!!

Ismaël Lo
Senegal

Artist: Ismaël Lo
CD title: Senegal
Release date: 2006
Number of Discs: 1
Genre: Ethnic
Type: MP3 format sound
Quality: 320 Kbit
Time: 01:01:03
Total size: 140 MB
Info: covers included

Tracks:
01. Baykat
02. Incha Allah
03. Tass Yakar
04. Jola
05. Taar Dusey
06. Manko
07. Yaye Boye
08. Plus Je Fais Ci, Plus Je Fais Ça
09. Mbindane
10. Wakhal
11. Ouvriers
12. Jiguen
13. Ma Fille
14. Tajabone

Info:
Ismael Lo possess one of the finest voices in Senegal, but he uses it sparingly. His last album of new songs was released five years back, and the one before that appeared 12 years ago. So has this been worth the wait? Well, sort of. The man once dubbed the "Bob Dylan of Africa" because of his acoustic guitar, harmonica and trenchant lyrics now sounds like a cool soul singer, with his distinctive, relaxed vocals matched against lush backing, with brass, strings and keyboards. He never quite breaks into a sweat, but his songs are for the most part a gently upbeat blend of Senegalese mbalax, reggae and ballads. The subject matter apparently covers anything from arranged marriages to democracy, but despite his fame as a lyricist, no English translation is provided.
Still, it's a classy set, even if the orchestration can be annoying. His classic song Tajabone sounded better when he first recorded it 15 years ago, without the sweeping strings.
Robin Denselow
Friday November 10, 2006
The Guardian

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