A while ago, the homie Eli Tetteh and I started exchanging songs with each other; two geeks communing, ten tracks at a time, followed by some great conversation/argument about what makes music good or bad. A few months later, two more friends – EDWVN & Oku Tetteh – joined in. We came up with a format and started recording our conversations. That became a podcast: DECAF.
The day we launched the podcast, we decided to do a live version to introduce people to the format. It was so successful that we have since made it a regular event that has already seen us outgrow two venues.
Highlife music has always been about fusion: from calypso through to jazz, funk, reggae, pop, hip-hop, dance and – most recently – trap, highlife has always, always been influenced by foreign sounds. But while we’re heavily exposed to popular sounds, what would happen if we started drawing our influences from a broader palette, mixing it up with all the musical gorgeousness that exists under the radar? Both with our podcast and our live event, we shine a light on some of those underground sounds in the hopes that it influences some of our very own. And even if it doesn’t, it makes for endless fun and debate, both preceded and followed by a DJ set by Eff the DJ.
It’s basically lit.
If you’re in Accra and feel like hearing some sounds you probably haven’t heard before, drop by (follow @nkenten on Twitter to know when). And if you can’t, but you’re as geeky as we are about music, do tune into the podcast.
Kobby Ankomah Graham 