A couple of months ago we spoke to Gilles Peterson and he mentioned in passing that he was particularly excited about the music being unearthed from the Ivory Coast. Well, with the release of Ivory Coast Soul: Afrofunk in Abidjan 1972-1982, we can see why. It’s a country that has been perhaps a bit neglected by diggers (and whose present sadly overshadows its past) but now it’s time for this West African republic to shine.
In the 1970s the music industry based in Abidjan, the capital of the Ivory Coast, was second only to that of Lagos in Nigeria, with musicians flocking to lay down tracks there from all over the continent. This diversity is reflected in the tracks collected here, tracks that are primarily rooted in funk and afrobeat but reveal influences from all the musicians who assembled together in Abidjan during this time. It’s a hell of a lot of fun and if you’re down with collections of the ilk of Lagos Disco Inferno, then Ivory Coast Soul is a must.
Props to Dijamel Hammadi for putting it all together in the face of… well… cop the release and read the liner notes for the full story. In the meantime, check out and download the ridiculously catchy Oko Sekai Athanase and stream two others from Ernesto Djedje and Jimmy Hyacinthe below.
Ivory Coast Soul is available now from Hot Casa/Light In The Attic.
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DOWNLOAD: Okoi Seka “Melokon Mebun Ou”
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Stream: Ernesto Djedje “Zadie Bobo”
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Stream: Jimmy Hyacinthe ”Yatchiminou”
Interview: Keri Hilson In Ivory Coast
We sat down with R&B songstress Keri Hilson to chat about her recent trip to the Ivory Coast, where she spoke to us about meeting prime minister Guillaume Soro and falling in love with poulet braisé.
So, you visited Ivory Coast recently.
Yeah, it was great! Though it was only a short stay, I got to play a show at Palais de la Culture d’Abidjan for about 4,000 people — the crowd’s energy was amazing.
What did you do while there?
I was lucky to get to meet prime minister Guillaume Soro. Other than that, we got to go to the beach, do a bit of local shopping and ate out a lot. I gotta say, out of the African cities I visited this year Abidjan had the best food hands-down. We were tearing up the poulet braisé, aloco and kedjenou (laughs).
Akon ft. Keri Hilson “Oh Africa” [for Konfidence Charity/2010 World Cup]
What sparked your interest in playing Abidjan?
Well, I’ve been traveling to Africa for a few years now. I first went with John Legend on his 2009 South African tour. Ever since then I’ve kept wanting to return. My dream is to visit each country in the continent. You know, being African-American you truly get a sense of “home” while there. I was also impressed people could trace their lineage to a specific tribe, it’s something I’ve been trying to find out for myself.
Do you have a highlight of the trip?
Yeah, my favorite part by far was visiting La Caza — an orphanage for children who lost their parents in the civil war. It was a really emotional experience and great to get to see the kids smile. For the holidays, I’m sending them over packages of bookbags, t-shirts, sunglasses, notebooks, and even an electric keyboard!