The First Case of the Guinea Revelation

Guinea is an unusual case in the African playbook. It is one of those countries seemingly entirely hidden from our consciousness in the US (if you don't believe me, try naming one relevant fact about the country). The only time Guinea has made the news in my adult lifetime has been their unfortunate role in the 2014 ebola scare in West Africa. 

And yet this country produced some of my favorite African music in the 1970s and early 80s. Bordering both Senegal and Mali, the musical scene in Guinea was seemingly split between Afro-Latin influences and the desert blues styles of the Southern Sahara. While not on par with powerhouse nations like Nigeria and The Congo, Guinea had a musical output in the 1970s that is easily on par, both in quantity and quality, with better known countries such as Ivory Coast, Benin, or Burkina Faso (plus Senegal and Mali). For some reason, however, music from Guinea is almost never anthologized for modern reissues, and songs from Guinea rarely appear on compilations. 

Today I am here to remedy the situation with a full show dedicated to the music of Guinea. The show begins with a pair of Afro-Latin sets, with a bit of rumba and highlife mixed in. The middle sets are dedicated to the desert blues sound; we will go deep into these dunes. I'll share some intense psychedelic tracks before I send it out with some soaring Afro-Pop.