Aquarium Drunkard Presents: Kalakala | Rhythms of West Africa

From Nigeria and Benin to Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana, the polyrhythmic percussive patterns of West Africa have always been funky. But the starting in the early 70s and continuing late into the 80s, synths began to snake their way onto the scene. Traditional talking drums co-habitate with drum machines. And the sounds of Yoruba Juju, Fuji and Afrobeat evolved into something that, to uninitiated western ears, sounds wholly other-worldly in all the right ways.

Portland’s Little Axe Records has spent the past five years researching, sourcing and importing some of the most compelling (and rare) records from this region. And now it’s time to share the love. Compiled by Portland DJ Mr. Wriff and Warren from Little Axe, this is Kalakala; a primer to the sounds and rhythms of West Africa.