I'm Not Here to Hunt Rabbits

Here is a remarkable compilation of modern rural acoustic guitar and vocal music from Botswana. One of the performers on the album became a YouTube sensation about ten years ago: Ronnie Moipolai is one of many players who use an over-the-neck fretting technique. It's an unorthodox guitar style that produces a unique blend of right-hand finger-picking and strident walking bass punctuations as his left hand taps and slides over the frets. Many YouTube viewers mistakenly believed him to be female, as he usually wears a headscarf.

The music is loosely based on Botswanan tradition and has similar roots to South African marabi and mbaqanga township musics. Vocals, sung in Tswana or local dialect, are reminiscent of the gravelly groaning of Zulu singer Mahlathini. The players recorded here manage to scrape a living from music by either performing in the street, at local events, or in the shebeens of nearby Gabarone. In addition to the acoustic guitar tracks there are two examples of raunchy electric guitar, two traditional fiddle tracks, and a striking gospel- style song with electric keyboard backing, performed by blind female street musician Annafiki Ditau.

A refreshing collection of regional African ‘troubadour’ music that is generally little known or appreciated, the album is released as a digital download or heavyweight vinyl LP with a bonus download of eight additional tracks. The accompanying 36-page booklet is packed with background information, song translations and photos.