I was born in Obuasi, the Ashanti Region of Ghana back in the sixties. I grew up thinking my grandparents were my parents as my mom had come to join my dad in London, where he was studying. Growing up in Ghana was fun. I was free to go anywhere I wanted. Free to roam the neighbourhoods, villages and the woodlands. It wasn't always fun as sometimes my grandfather would drag me to the farm to do some work, which didn't seem like fun to me.
Music had always been around me, although I didn't really take much notice of it. Every morning I would wake up to the sound of my grandmother sweeping the yard and singing along with every stroke of her broom. She'd be singing along while pounding the fufu, or mashing the pepper and tomatoes to make peanut or palmnut soup. The songs were mostly traditional or gospel songs and even to this day whenever I hear those songs, I am transported to those times in my childhood.
I was also introduced to music by grandfather who was the church keeper or janitor. He also played the church organ. Four days a week I had to accompany him to the church, very early, in the morning to clean and to sound the bell for mass.
Music was everywhere in my neighbourhood. Anyone who has visited Africa would know that the music never stops. Whether it's coming form a tinni stereo of a makeshift soundsystem or just a few boys and girls gathering in a corner to sing, clap our hands, play our own homemade guitars from tins and any strings we could find or drum on anything we can lay our hand on.
I was very happy in Ghana but as they say all good things have to come to an end and 23rd December 1981 I arrived in London to join my folks.
I had alway had this romantic idea of England as most African children do. I really did expected it to be all glitter and gold. What I didn't expect was how cold it was going to be. Of-course those were the days when winter was winter and summer was summer. Not wearing appropriate clothing for the winter didn't help either. A cardigan and sandals were not ideal clothing for a skinny African boy visiting England for the first time.
I knew that I had to adjust fast and find out what you need to live on these shores. Music, I thought was a universal language and I decided to use it as a medium to make friends and as away to understand the western way of life. World music wasn't as popular then as it is now but to be honest I wouldn't have been interested in world music at the time.
I discovered a wonderful thing called pop music, much to my parents disappointment. Adam Ant, Bow Wow Wow, Depeche Mode, Soft Cell, human league, the cure, kraftwerk were some of the happening bands at the time. So started my musical journey. I strayed in various genres of music, taking in some indie bands (the smiths, joy division, new order, echo and bunnymen,U2 etc) I got into Goth music in a big way and started djing in a goth club called the catacoombes. I even took up playing guitar in an indie band after seeing a clip of Hendrix setting fire to his guitar and later Prince in Purple Rain. I knew I had to reassess my musical journey when I found myself at Wembley arena headbanging to iron maiden. I knew something was not quite right but was enjoying the trip and didn't know how to address it. As I mentioned earlier there wasn't a world music scene at the time. althought there was a happening 80s groove scene, I didn't quite feel at home there yet as I'd had enough of people laughing at my then very heavy African accent.
My love for all things vinyl led to me a shop one day and the first record I laid my eyes on was 'Ancestral Music of Ghana' by Dade Krama. I bought it cos I liked the cover. This album had a great effect on me as it pointed me in another direction, musically. I suddenly remembered where I had hidden all my parent old hi-life records, mainly to stop them from playing them, and quickly went to retrieve them and was glad to find among them music by Fela, ET Mensah, Koo Nimo, Alhaji Frimpong, African brothers band etc. And thus I started on another journey, not just rediscovering African music, but on a journey as a musician.
Since then I have been fortunate enough to have worked with some of the best African drummers in England when I was in Adzido Pan African Dance ensemble, where I met Nii Tagoe, who I co-founded Fri titi dance group with. I've also had the pleasure of working with one of the best hi-life vocalist this side of the planet, Nana Tsiboe, who has the the voice of an angel and was also part of Dade Krama.
I am currently the lead singer in a Ghanaian hi-life band Yaaba Funk, a band that celebrates the hi-life sound of 1970 Ghanaian hi-life. As you can expect after the journey I have been on it's not surprising that my band takes in all these influences. I'm also glad that I have met a bunch of musicians who have also been on a journey similar to mine and so we have an understanding of the type music we want to make.
A YAABA FUNK REHEARSAL
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RiwPJrwAea4
kalabule man outro rehearsal
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eiL0NPXWTD8
