Something is Wrong – Vintage Recordings From East Africa

In days gone by, you might have expected to find this kind of compilation released on a more specialist label like Sharp Wood Records, Lyrichord or Ocora. All credit to Honest Jon’s, who have made available this fascinating collection. The arrival of public radio broadcasting in Uganda in the 1930s, transmitted through large speakers mounted in the streets of the capital Kampala, caused astonishment and initial disbelief to the local community. To them it was “wrong”: it was utterly unfathomable to hear music but not be able to see the performer.

The title may also refer to the impropriety of some of the lyrical content. Often hidden by argot or allegory, many of the songs contain references to sex, hard living, religious goading, or radical politics: subject matter generally not deemed acceptable by the colonial authorities. What also might be perceived as “wrong” was the music itself. The liner notes quote one missionary: ‘our ears were deafened with the din which a motley band of musicians were making.’ Some of this so-called din may indeed be described as difficult listening. Raucous percussion-based ensembles can, to the unaccustomed ear, sound unmusical. Equally discordant at times are the single-stringed bowed instruments popular in the area. Taarab, the music of the coastal Swahili speaking communities, is an entirely different prospect however. Its Arabic and Oriental influences lend the music a lilting and very listenable quality.

There is a rich variety of music from several different ethnic groups contained within this collection. It has been cherry-picked from an archive of 400 78rpm discs that HMV recorded in Uganda and Kenya from the mid 1930s to the mid 50s. All of it is of interest, and with the aid of the extensive liner notes, we are afforded a fascinating insight into the roots of one of Africa’s most vibrant musical regions.