For today, I wanted to share with you “Ashiko, Sekele, etc…“, an instant killer Afro Disco Soul Funk track, taken from the third & last LP recorded in 1981 in Paris by the legendary Cameroonian composer & musician Nicolas Pasteur Lappé.

Native of the city of Douala, he began his musical career very young, becoming a local sensation at the age of 19 thanks to his songs broadcasted on “Radio Adele“, a local radio station. In the late 70s, after moving to Paris originally to study journalism, he settled into a new life of music where he befriends African music legends such as Fela Kuti, André-Marie Tala, Joe Mboule or Jacob Desvarieux from the mythical French West Indian Band “Kassav“.

Pasteur Lappé is known to have created the “Sekele Movement“, a blend of Funk, Disco, Afrobeat, Reggae, Soul and RnB.

His most prolific years were from 1979 to 1981, years he made his three flagship albums.

The album features the following musicians :

Bass, Producer : Christophe Zadire ;

Chorus : Maryse Lappé, Sylvie Draï ;

Album direction : Jean-Marie Ahanda ; Zulu Gang ;

Drums, Percussions : Philippe Draï ;

Sound engineering, Guitar, Synthesizers : Jacob Desvarieux ;

Keyboards, Pianos, Synthesizers : Douglas Mbida, Robert Benjamin ;

Lead Vocals – Pasteur Lappé, Mehdi Dayas (B2) ;

Saxophone : Alain Hatot, Jimmy Mvondo ;

Trombone : Alex Perdigon, Jacques Bolognesi ;

Trumpet : Jacques “Cake” Bessot, Antoine “Tony” Rousseau ;

Pasteur Lappé – Ashiko, Sekele, etc… (Cameroun, 1981, Disques Espérance)

You can also listen to this song on my Youtube Channel here : https://youtu.be/_71jymOEnxA

Follow me on Instagram too for more exclusive contents : https://www.instagram.com/armand_de_preseau/

Have a nice Wednesday, see you on next Sunday for another musical (re)discovery !

Armand de Preseau

For today, I wanted to share with you “Nadim (Je Regrette)“, an instant catchy Disco Soul Synth track from Maghreb, taken from the 2nd album recorded in 1978 in Paris by the musician (saxophone player) & composer Abdelkader “Freh” Khodja.

Abdelkader “Freh” Khodja was born in Sidi-Bel-Abbes (Algeria), on the 1st of January 1949.

At the age of fifteen, he began musical studies, entered the Conservatory, where he opted for the saxophone. Two years later, he began playing at open air dances, banquets, etc.

In March 1968, he travelled to France, and worked in different jobs to earn his living, including grill man in a restaurant. Then, he joined his brothers in Lyon, where he became a semi-professional performer at the city’s Winter Palace, and met his first band with whom he played Soul music.

Back in Paris, he and his group gradually appeared as stars at the “Bus Palladium” concert hall. After several tours in clubs, Freh abandoned Soul music for varieties, and left France for the United States, to Greenwich Village, to play in one of the most sumptuous establishments in the region. It was there that, by chance, improvising on his guitar & backed by his musicians, he sang for the first time in Arabic, which was instantly a big success.

Thus, was born an idyll : merging Arabic and pop influences in his music.

From that moment on, he made a point of honor to defend during all his musical career the promotion and acknowledgement of Arabic language in Western pop songs.

This album features :

Drums : Michel Galon ;

Guitar : Jean Lopez ;

Bass Guitar : Alex Sanders-Nace ;

Synth : Eko Roosevelt ;

Percussions : Sidney ;

Saxophone/Flute : Jean Bremzet ;

Saxophone (solo) : Freh Khodja ;

Trumpets : Michel Barrot, Jean Buzon ;

Trombone : Jacques Bolognesi ;

Violins : M. Berthier ;

Chorus : Tarik Chikhi, Grazellia Madrigal, Aïda Nassim ;

Grazellia Madrigal ;

Directed by : Eric Siota ;

(Yes, this album features the legendary Cameroonian keyboardist Eko Roosevelt, whom we reissued a few years earlier a vinyl compilation on Nubiphone, one of the record labels I run !)

One of my personal favorite track in the genre, that always set the dance floor on fire when I play it during my DJ sets – Enjoy !

Abdelkader “Free” Khodja – Nadim (Je Regrette) (Algeria, 1976, Disques Espérance)

You can also listen to this song on my Youtube Channel here : https://youtu.be/phLsaOaTFCM

Follow me on Instagram too for more exclusive contents : https://www.instagram.com/armand_de_preseau/

Have a nice Wednesday, see you on next Sunday for another musical (re)discovery !

Armand de Preseau

For today, I wanted to share with you “Impulse“, a killer Afro Funk Boogie Fusion track, taken from the first album recorded in 1979 by the Cameroonian composer & musician Emmanuel Eteme, who was also a very-well known & gifted football player in the early 70s.

This album features :

Emmanuel Eteme : Vocals, Guitar & Percussions ;

Georges Neulemkam : Drums ;

Jacques Mbida : Synth, Drums & Bass ;

Jean-Claude Ebongue : Bass ;

Jimmy Mvondo Mvele : Saxophone ;

Samuel Ateba Mengue : Percussions & Bongos ;

Sammy Massamba : Guitar ;

This song reminds me the best tracks by the mythical Cameroonian duet “J.M. Tim & Foty” (Jean-Marie Tiam “Tim” & Maurice Fotié “Foty” Kembiwo) & includes awesome guitar parts by another Congolese legend, Sammy Massamba – Enjoy !

Emmanuel Eteme – Impulse (Cameroun, 1979, Disques Espérance)

You can also listen to this song on my Youtube Channel here : https://youtu.be/ANtHPX2wWSM

Follow me on Instagram too for more exclusive contents : https://www.instagram.com/armand_de_preseau/

Have a nice Wednesday, see you on next Sunday for another musical (re)discovery !

Armand de Preseau

Ali Farka Touré – Ali Aoudy

You can also listen to this song on my Youtube Channel here : https://youtu.be/IwjDmO1jfmg

Have a nice sunny sunday !

Armand de Preseau