Cumbia is the sound of Latin America, with roots going back to the traditional folk sounds of centuries past, yet save for a select few names, some of the style’s greatest innovators remain virtual unknowns outside of their local area, save for the most dedicated of cumbia obsessives. Luckily for the rest of us, some of those obsessives have seen fit to bring Ranil’s output back into focus, with Analog Africa following up on their 2020 compilation, Ranil Y Su Conjunto Tropical, with an equally infectious collection of long-forgotten works from the Peruvian master.
…Galaxia Tropical is more than just a follow-up; it is a final tribute to a musical titan. Label founder Samy Ben Redjeb recounts a serendipitous 2019 trip where a taxi driver…
Tag Archive: Analog Africa
…Zig-Zag Band emerged in the early ’80s, a time when Zimbabwe was forging its post-independence identity, and quickly established itself as one of the country’s most distinctive musical voices. Their sound — a vibrant fusion of reggae, traditional rhythms, brass arrangements, and mbira-inspired guitar — helped define what would become known as Chigiyo, a genre named after a traditional dance from the Chimanimani region.
Formed in Kwekwe under the mentorship of Robson Kadenhe and led by guitarist Gilbert Zvamaida, the band crafted a bold, original style. With intricate guitar lines, infectious dance rhythms, and raw, soulful Shona vocals, they pushed beyond genre boundaries. While many contemporaries opted for commercially safer routes,…
In 1972 black people rarely featured in the country’s white-owned official newspapers, unless, perhaps, they were a dead “terrorist”. However, Dr Footswitch’s performance prompted The Rhodesia Herald to print the picture of their guitar player, Manu Kambani, on the front page along with the screaming sentence “Jimi Hendrix is dead but Manu is alive”. With his ability to mimic the mesmerising antics of Jimi Hendrix Manu had impressed everybody and the editor of the paper couldn’t resist printing the story. Heavy criticism from conservative whites followed, accusing the Herald of “lowering the standards.” But the coverage turned Manu into an emblematic figure in Harare, one of Salisbury’s oldest townships, and would influence many youngsters…