Tag: Asona Records

Thomas Frempong’s “Mada Meho So” From 1985 Highlife Classic Aye Yi is a Vibrant Example of the Genre and Its Influence on Modern Indie Rock

Thomas Frempong (often spelled “Frimpong”) was an important figure in the Ghanaian music scene for half a century before his untimely death on September 18, 2013 leaving behind a rich legacy of popular music. As fate would have it a treasure trove of Ghana Highlife records was found in the the bottom of a garden in the UK by DJ Jerry Frempong’s wife Katie. Frempong’s father Anthony Roberts Frempong, was the founder of one of the more important Ghanaian record labels Asona Records that championed Electric Highlife. BBE Music owner Pete Adarkwah heard about that discovery and worked out a catalog deal to reissue those records and make them available to a new generation of listeners. Asona had originally released Thomas Frempong’s 1985 album Aye Yi which came out in the wake of his move to the UK. BBE reissued the album on digital on November 10, 2023.

Any one of the four tracks on the record would be a vital example of Burger Highlife in the 80s but “Mada Meho So” is strikingly modern for our current time in its sensibilities. Its progressive and expertly accented funk bass lines, the intricate guitar work, splashes of echoing, haunting, rhythmic synth work and the energetic vocals have an irresistible immediacy. Musically it would fit on a playlist with the likes of Flying Lotus, Kaytranada and even the more jazz end of black midi. More than a decade ago indie rock bands like Suburban Kids With Biblical Names, Foals, Vampire Weekend and Dirty Projectors were dipping heavily into Highlife. But “Mada Meho So” and the rest of Aye Yi is heady trip through a refined peak of the art form. Listen to “Mada Meho So” on Spotify and explore the rest of the album there as well or through Bandcamp where a digital download is available for purchase.

A.K. Yeboah & K.K.’s No. 2 Band’s Recently Unearthed Burger Highlife Song “Nde Yen Da” is a Lively Party Track For Living Outside Linear Time

A.K. Yeboah (aka Antony “King” Yeboah) began his career in music performing highlight in the 50s but in the 80s he started writing songs in Pidgin and his electric guitar style fit in well with “burger” highlife style of that decade as well and established himself as an influential musician for Ghanaian artists worldwide. As fate would have it a treasure trove of Ghana Highlife records was found in the the bottom of a garden in the UK by DJ Jerry Frempong’s wife Katie. Frempong’s father Anthony Roberts Frempong, was the founder of one of the more important Ghanaian record labels Asona Records that championed Electric Highlife. BBE Music owner Pete Adarkwah heard about that discovery and worked out a catalog deal to reissue those records and make them available to a new generation of listeners. “Nde Yen Da” by A.K. Yeboah & K.K.’s No. 2 Band is the title track to that group’s 1985 album.

“Nde Yen Da” has an immediate appeal the moment the song starts with its layered polyrhythms and intricate guitar melodies supporting the call and response vocals. There is compelling energy to the music that pulls you along for an experience that doesn’t require one to understand Pidgin to appreciate. The lead vocalist occasionally throws out some dynamic side narrative like a market hawker to break the almost hypnotic repetition of pointillistic guitar work in runs that would be impossible outside the hands of a master musician, the kind of performance that would challenge math rock riff masters. And in the evolving rhythm scheme that guides you to the edge and back of the song and one gets the sense that the song works like an experimental novel where you can pick up the vibe at any point and ride with it to the end and start over and get something unique out of it each time. Is the song 7 minutes 15? Yes. Does it feel like the average song over five minutes? No, because it has its own logic that seems outside the linear experience of western pop music formats. Listen to “Nde Yen Da” and the rest of the album on Spotify and find more information on the record and the reissue series on Bandcamp.