Various - Borga Revolution! Ghanaian Dance Music In The Digital Age, 1983-1996 (Volume 2) 2xLP
$32.98
Label: Kalita
Kalita Records unveil the second volume in their Borga Revolution! compilation series, focusing on the phenomenon of "burger highlife," a crossover of West African melodies with synthesizers, disco, and boogie that took over Ghanaian airwaves during the 1980s and beyond. Featuring both highly sought-after recordings by artists including Atta Frimpong and D.J. Lawyer Okyere, as well as seminal performances by greats such as Pat Thomas, A.B. Crentsil, and Alan Cosmos And His Bam-Baara Soundz, Kalita once again come to the rescue of audiophiles, DJs and music-lovers alike with Borga Revolution! Volume 2.
The 1970s had witnessed an increased Western airtime and physical presence in Ghana introducing funk, soul and disco sounds to the region. By the turn of the decade the country was also enduring economic turmoil, with rising poverty, military dictatorships and long periods of enforced curfews (amongst other factors) making it impossible for artists to survive. As a result, many Ghanaian artists with a broader outlook began to pursue their careers in the West, moving to both Europe and America in search of stardom. It was here that Ghanaian musicians developed a digitized version of highlife music which fully embraced Western contemporary music styles and newly introduced technology such as the DX7 synthesizer and various drum machines. It is in this context in which the evolution of Ghanaian dance music and the emergence of "burger highlife" was born.
With the Borga Revolution! series Kalita endeavor to tell this story, with prominent and lesser-known musicians' accounts and documentary evidence providing a comprehensive understanding of this shift to the digital age. Also features Pope Flyne Ackah, Mawuli Decker, and Nana Aboagye Da-Costa. Double-LP housed in a gatefold sleeve. Accompanied by a 12-page booklet featuring extensive interview-based liner notes on each artist and never-before-seen archival photos.