Ouaga Affair: Hard Won Sound Of The Upper Volta 1974-1978

Ouaga Affair collects 15 tracks from the musical boom of the 1970s Upper Volta (now Burkina Faso). But to see their music released, these groups had to travel first to Ghana to record, then on to Benin to press masters before finally returning home. With that in mind, it's amazing anything was ever recorded, but labels CVD and Volta Discobel released over a hundred discs between them, from which these tracks have been sourced. Master tapes having long disappeared, the recordings are lifted directly from the sometimes low-quality vinyl albums that have survived. Knowing the trials undertaken to release this music though, it seems somehow appropriate that the sound should be a little rough around the edges and it actually adds a strength and charm to the musicianship and songwriting.

Singer Sandwidi Pierre vents his anger at the military-controlled one-party state on songs attacking the country's corrupt bourgeoisie. He's backed by both CVD's house band Super Volta and one of Upper Volta's oldest orchestras, Harmonie Voltaique. Both bands are at the height of their prowess, the former providing searing guitar and keyboard licks on Pierre's ‘Mam Ti Fou’, the latter showing their versatility on the Latin-Mossi ‘Nwindaramba’. Upon realising he had a voice good enough to take centre stage, former Harmonie Voltaique member Amadou Ballaké left to form his own group, Les 5 Consuls with guitarist Mangue Kondé, whose exquisite guitar perfectly complements Ballaké's voice. This is music that deserves to be preserved; thankfully Savannahphone got there in time.