No doubt, the titan of African pop, Franco Luambo’s O.K.
American R&B, rhumba from the Congo, and (as the title suggests) the yé-yé of French ’60s pop-the bands of Upper Volta drew on all of it. Upper Volta’s earliest orchestras took cues from a band comprised of French colonial businessmen and Western instruments like the guitar, trumpet, and saxophone. The influence of French colonialism is evident from the start. It also makes for a worthwhile exploration of the landlocked African country, oft-times overshadowed by neighbors like Mali, Ghana, and Niger. cities and weird private press albums from dollar bins, the deluxe audio and visual packaging of Bobo Yéyé: Belle Époque in Upper Volta marks their first foray into the motherland. While Numero Group has a knack for unearthing micro soul scenes in U.S.
#BELLE EPOQUE IN UPPER VOLTA FULL#
When Upper Volta achieved full independence by 1960, it marked the beginning of a rather peaceful time in the country, which allowed the cosmopolitan music scene a chance to take root and flourish. After centuries of colonial, tribal, and political clashes, these decades saw a country only recently freed of French colonial oppression, struggling to find footing with their own slippery national identity (the region is home to over 60 ethnic groups).
While many labels release varied, excellent portraits of music from the African continent, Numero's project illustrates a particular place and time that laid the foundation for an entire people to build a nation.Were it not for the vinyl records pressed (and photographs snapped) during the short-lived existence of post-colonial Upper Volta, there would be almost no trace of the rough-hewed yet honeyed music made by the Voltaic musicians of the 1960s and ’70s. Bobo Yéyé: Belle Époque in Upper Volta is one of Numero's most obsessively assembled artifacts, and given their high standards, that's saying plenty. Contrast this with Dafra Star's fusion of call-and-response Malian folk and Latin-inspired funk in "Sie Koumgolo." Echo del Africa opens disc three with the cooking, Afrobeat-drenched funk of "Gentlemen Doromina." Later, they showcase a driving, Yoruban-cum-Juju pulse and chant in "Yiri Wah." Les Imbattables Leopards move through sweet, tender Afro-soul on "Milaoba" then get salsa-fied on "Nene." This disc also includes the popping dance number "He Ya Wanna" by Ouedraogo Youssef - complete with Stax soul-styled horns - and "Arindo" by Idy-O-Idrissa, a waltz-time R&B ballad whose melody derives from the Sahel folk tradition. Check Volta Jazz's mind-melting "Mousso Koroba Tike." Fuzzed-up psychedelic wah-wah guitars and rock drums run headlong into highlife, accompanied by polyrhythmic hand drums and souled-out vocal harmonies. Along the way, they encounter and build on Cuban rhythms, rock, and R&B sounds from the Americas.
They offer rare tracks illustrating a startling crossroads where Malian and Nigerian melodies and rhythms collide with those of Ghana and Niger. The set includes a disc each by Volta Jazz and Dafra Star. Full-color photos of various recordings adorn some pages, as do complete discographies of important labels.
There are biographies of the country's legendary groups Volta Jazz, Dafra Star (led by former - and best - VJ vocalist Coulibaly Tidiani), Echo del Africa, and Les Imbattables Leopards, and interviews. A short note by photographer Sory Sanle offers his story, and is followed by dozens of his quietly stunning black-and-white photos that include studio portraits, promo shots of musicians, and night-time street scenes. The 176-page hardbound book provides an introductory essay with a fine historical overview of colonial, post-colonial, and pre-revolutionary Upper Volta. Revolution is a process, not an event, and this artifact offers one kind of proof. It shines a light on Bobo-Dioulasso's music scene as an explosion of pop culture paved the way for 1983's coup d'etat led by Thomas Sankara (a former jazz musician) to rename the country. Bobo Yéyé: Belle Époque in Upper Volta is a hefty, handsome box set it's equal parts photo exhibit and musical anthology documenting the landlocked nation (now known as Burkina Faso) during the 1970s.
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