Bonus disc

Bonus disc: No

Catalogue number

DEATH073

Colour

Colour details

Discogs ID

Format multiplier

Download code

Download code: No

Rough Trade Exclusive

Rough Trade Exclusive: No

Extended format

Extended format: No

Format detail

Format Music GB

Tape

Limited edition

Release date

2024-01-26

Signed copies

Signed copies: No

Supplier GB

Kudos

Tax rate GB

Standard:20

UPC / Barcode

5050580818644

Total Cap

Artist

Various

Genre GB

African

Label GB

Death Is Not The End

Death Is Not The End is a record label and radio show that specializes in gospel, blues, global folk music, soundsystems, pirate radio, and various wormholes. With a diverse range of genres and styles, the label offers an eclectic mix of music for all tastes.

Founded by passionate music enthusiasts, Death Is Not The End has established itself as a leading authority in the industry. Their commitment to preserving and promoting lesser-known artists and performers sets them apart from other labels. Through their carefully curated releases and radio shows, they bring to light hidden gems that deserve recognition.

Whether you're a fan of traditional gospel hymns or searching for unique sounds from around the world, Death Is Not The End has something for everyone. Their dedication to quality music ensures that each release is meticulously crafted with attention to detail.

Newest Listed Items

The second part in a collection encompassing Akan blues, palm wine and early guitar-based highlife music, with recordings dating from the late 1920s through to the end of the 1950s.

The music included here can probably all be said to have all stemmed from a style that initially took root in the Fanti region of coastal southern Ghana. Fusing local percussion instruments with the introduction of western (most notably Portuguese) guitars that had made their way to the Fanti region of southern Ghana via the Kru seamen of Liberia, who are said to have pioneered the distinctive two-fingered style of playing while sailing the high seas.

Mingling amongst the Kru as well as with other sailors and local working-class people during the 1920s & 30s, the guitars infused with the traditional Akan seprewa harp-playing technique, creating a style known as 'odonson' or 'Akan blues' - a rootsy highlife style also commonly referred to as palm wine music, so named after the palm wine bars where the music was commonly performed. Western record companies such as Zonophone, Columbia, Odeon, HMV, and later Decca/EMI's West Africa imprint, released much of the recordings included here - with the earliest inclusions appearing courtesy of George William Aingo, Nicholas De Heer, Edmund Tagoe & Frank Essien, and Jacob Sam's Kumasi Trio (all recorded in London during the late 1920s). The form would become a key element in the popular development of both Ghanaian & Nigerian highlife, as well as the maringa of Sierra Leone, the juju of western Nigeria, and the Congolese "dry" guitar music of central Africa.

With thanks to John Collins and the Bokoor African Popular Music Archives Foundation.

If You Want to Make a Lover: Palm Wine, Akan Blues & Early Guitar Highlife, Pt. II

Music GB

Discover If You Want to Make a Lover: Palm Wine, Akan Blues & Early Guitar Highlife, Pt. II by Various. A collection of vintage highlife music from Ghana, featuring fusion of local percussion and western guitars. Label: Death Is Not The End.