Roots Archives Forum

After following the thread on Nigerian Reggae,I thought it would be interesting to know more about Reggae that came out in Africa during this period,and I suppose mostly from none Reggae bands building some Reggae tracks into their sets.I know for instance that Matata from Kenya did some reggae covers in their mostly Funky AfroRock repertoire.

I don't know much about AFRICAN REGGAE
but check out the ETHIOPIQUES series of releases on BUDA MUSIQUE
especially VOL. 3 & 4 ...great !

Thanks selecta bing,I know these great albums, as I am a great fan of Mulatu Astatke.There is even some nice reggae that came from Ethiopia,like Gigi's One Ethiopia.She also did a dub album with her husband,Bill Laswell,Sacred System Dub Chamber 4.Also lately there has been two dub projects,the one from Dub Colossus,In a town called Addis and the remixes Return to Addis.Then there is Invisible System's Punt Made in Ethiopia.And then of course Mulatu's new album with the Heliocentrics.So a lot of great music coming from the Mountains of Zion.But in this thread my great interest would be to find some gems from the 60's and 70's,which was a time, like in Jamaica and the States where the music blossomed.

afrikola wrote:And then of course Mulatu's new album with the Heliocentrics.

Good call! Excellent album!

The Invisible System, Punt (Made in Ethiopia) is the latest and in my opinion far the best. It is the most original and soulful dub based album I have heard and it has plentt of Reggae, Ethiopian, and other genres. I find Dub Colossus too 2D/electronic sounding and too programmed. The Ethiopique CDs are cool and some of them are on Invisible System including Mahmoud Ahmed.

afrikola wrote: I know for instance that Matata from Kenya did some reggae covers in their mostly Funky AfroRock repertoire.

Are you refering to 'The Big Matata band'?
Check out a band called 'Them Mushrooms' as well, but i doubt if they fit into that time frame you gave...

[btw: they changed their name to 'Uyoga Band', Swahili for 'mushroom'.]

Sonny Okosun is the best african-reggae singer

@ras gaks-I just Googled the Big Matata Band and it is not them.Matata was a funky AfroRock band formed in the end of the 60's and recorded their debut album in London in the early seventies,called Independance and followed it up with Air Fiesta.When these resurfaced later on CD,they were called Feelin' Funky and Wild River respectively.Especially the vinyl is highly collectable,these days,,see Popsike.com.I know Them Mushrooms and have some tracks by them,just a bit "tinny" for my taste,very synth driven.Do you know if any of the Nairobi based Zairean bands did any reggae tracks?

Lingala and Rhumba ruled the airwaves back then, so i guess no band ventured into reggae that much unless when playing live in pubs...

toure kunda the paris-based senegalese vocal trio did several nice albums with reggae sides the least of which is their debut album "emma". ADIOA which was comprised by senegalese and west indians released thir debut album on mango called"soweto man".let alone pape seye a scandinavian-based gambian singer who had 2 albums back in the early 80's with nice reggae.let alone alpha blondy ismael isaacs and the keita brothers and reggae roots a breakaway group from alpha blondy backing band solar system that produced a nice album in the 80's called "sarajevo crime".feed-band and niominka-bi are also reggae bands that were made of france-based senegalese and french musicians.may be the independant labels they signed didn't allow them to have greater exposure to the music community.