African Renaissance - Music From The South African Broadcasting Corporation Archives - Volume 9

The segregation of indigenous music by the South African Broadcasting Corporation under the National Party's policy of "separate development" has had an unintentional after-effect - apartheid has bequeathed the world a glorious legacy of recorded music. A rich archive of SABC acetates, never intended to be heard outside the townships and provinces, has at last made its way onto CD. Music listeners now get their first chance to sample this cornucopia as Eagle Records has released a bunch of double CDs under the title "African Renaissance". The set spans 30 years of recording and covers everything from Western-influenced doo-wop to gumboot, historic ceremonial to traditional dance; a capella chorus to mine and sugar mill bands.



The music in these recordings is accessible, rich and uplifting and sound quality is very good. The selection also has a historic significance; it catches traditional forms that are fast being subsumed by new influences. With the opening of South Africa, modern western forms such as hip- hop are increasingly being incorporated into the music of the young; kwaiko, for example, borrowing heavily from house music and American rappers. Many of the tracks on these compilations are immensely physical, their catchiness forcing you to your feet. Others are more spiritual, with soaring, heart-stopping moments of beauty and poignancy. Such a wide and eclectic selection gives the lie to the impression of "sameness" which resulted from willy-nilly incorporation of African elements in the early 1980s world music fad. To borrow a phrase from the jazz world, this music is the sound of surprise. On these discs you will find the polyrhythmic vocal complexity of traditional Zulu music (recently popularised by star turns like Ladysmith Black Mambazo); the reggae- ish heal of Venda artists; shimmering harmonies, epitomised by the South Soto Bohlokong Choral or the Tswana Mmabatho police choir; the stomping rhythms and exuberance of Xhosa outfits such as the Harmony Baca Gumboot Dancers; and the gentle melodic fluency of Ndebele artists such as Love Inspirations.

It would take a hard heart or leaden soul not to find something in "African Renaissance's" treasure-trove to lift the spirit or get the feet tapping. Some of the royalties from the series will go to surviving artists; the rest to a development project to help disadvantaged young musicians in South Africa.

Here´s volume 9 with Nguni choral music on the first cd and Mbhaqanga, which has been hailed as Africa´s hardest and most upbeat sound, on the second.

African Renaissance - Volume 9 pt.1

African Renaissance - Volume 9 pt. 2
(192 kbps)

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