Spain x.o. Africa

Jump Started!
Tuesday, March 18, 2008 7:46 AM
Ahoy,

Today is my 3rd day in Dakar, Senegal, and I am amazed at how this trip has started. Quick summary of previous episodes: the reason for my trip is to find and sign quality West African music , which I will then incorporate to the label / catalog I am launching, Akwaaba Media. I'd already been to Ghana for this same reason in October, and was very satisfied with what I found, but, um, wow, Senegal. SO MUCH MUSIC.

I feel so lucky... I'm already in touch with very well connected industry figures. I had a couple of contacts beforehand (thanks to Claire and Alexis!!), who have turned out to be very friendly and helpful, showing me around and introducing me to the right people. There is such a wide range of music here, and so much of it practically untapped outside of Senegal, and sometimes Europe. For every Youssou N'Dour touring the world, there's an army of talented artists just begging for a little attention.

Last night, Monday night, I was taken to a salsa club (when do you ever read monday night and club in the same sentence?), where I listened to Pape Fall, a major figure of Senegalese salsa. You're probably asking yourself, Senegalese salsa?!?! Well that's precisely where Akwaaba fits in. Hardly anybody's heard of this stuff, but more importantly, you can barely find it, at least in the US. Here's the best my competition came up with:
http://worldmusic.nationalgeographic.com/worldmusic/view/page.basic/artist/content.artist/pape_fall___african_salsa_39730
http://papefall.calabashmusic.com/

Who the hell goes to National Geographic for music??? And who ever shops at Calabash? World music fanatics MAYBE, but certainly not the rest of this planet... I can't wait to shake things up.

But back to my trip, Dakar is a great place, the food is amazing, much, much, much better than in Ghana. Even dubious looking street meat tastes pretty good, and fish skewers, yassa chicken and the likes are properly filling my happy belly. The weather is super pleasant, it doesn't get that hot, the ocean breeze feels nice. Better take advantage before I head to Bamako, where it's basically the hottest time of the year. Free sauna anyone? The contacts I have here in Dakar are nice to hang out with, which makes a big difference, it's so good to have people taking me around to their "secret" spots. I prefer to stay away from the beaten track, which is not always easy since I stick out like a sore thumb. The good news also is that there are cultural bridges with Bamako and Abidjan, so I will most likely arrive in these cities with contacts as well. Oh and on the dorky side of things, I've had super easy internet access, and a local cell phone (+221 76 496 3018 if you feel so inclined, Paris - 1 hour, Los Angeles + 7 hour).

Gotta get ready to meet with Michael, a radio and TV guy who's been discovering new talent for a couple of decades. Apparently every single artist in the country knows him or owes him or both, and he seems interested in my project... so wish me luck!!!!!

Cheers,

Benjamin

Enthused
Wednesday, March 26, 2008 10:08 AM
Ahoy,

It's been roughly ten days since I got here. I think I officially feel like a "fish in the water", it's fun. So much fun. And working out for me biznass-wise, I'm meeting PLENTY of people, listening to great music, coming home with some of the best, and more exited than ever to BLOW THIS SHYTE UP all over the globe.

Dakar is large and has plenty to enjoy. The music scene for me here has been a seemingly endless thread of studios, homes and live music bars. I have been fortunate to meet some inspiring people whom I'll probably collaborate with for a while. Aicha, a Chadian who grew up between Ndjamena, Saoudi Arabia, Cairo and Dakar, who picks up the phone and starts blabbering in French, English, Arabic or Wolof. And Badou, a genuine Dakar local who knows the city and its music and nightlife like no other. Through them, I met many musicians, producers, radio peeps and plain ol' cool people. Some of whom I might work with. I should return with an eclectic selection of salsa mbalax, hip hop in Wolof and French and acoustic Peul music. A nice start. Small but top quality selection. I head to Bamako next, where I expect more Peul and other folk-ish acoustic music, hip hop and maybe some reggae and coupé décalé. I am getting VERY excited for Abidjan, Ivory Coast. It has quite the reputation around these parts, people basically say Dakar can be a bit stuck up, and Abidjan is where people really get loose.

It's also important to know the basics: I am WELL FED. I eat fish once or twice a day, grilled, always fresh and simply delicious. Served with mustard (I should say deli mustard or Dijon mustard, does the other kind really matter?) and hot sauce, grilled onions, rice, I love it. I just ate "pigeon", which doesn't seem to be PIGEON, but some kind of small bird. When the dish arrived I looked at the tiny, meager-ass whole birds with sadness. Alas, this ain't Thanksgiving. But as I started chewing, I got pretty addicted. This bird was the un-turkey, minuscule but packed with flavor and FAT.

I also have a SWEET PAD. I am staying in a fairly posh neighborhood, Point E, in a room inside a large house, which happens to be Youssou Ndour's former studio. I am getting ready to leave this place to go stay with locals for a few nights, before I head to Bamako, most likely this Saturday. Before I left I thought 6 weeks would seem like a really long time, but 10 days into it I can't believe how fast time slides by....

Voilà! Til next time,

Benjamin

Mali!
Monday, March 31, 2008 4:52 PM
Bonjour,

Bamako, day 3. What a change from Dakar! The most obvious change was felt the second I stepped outside the plane: the wind didn't feel so refreshing. More like opening an oven.

Bamako "feels" much more like Africa than Dakar did. I see very, very few whiteys, and much, much more poverty. Bamako is hot, dusty and polluted, and yet surprisingly charming. I've also been very fortunate - again - to meet the right people. Badou, my Dakar right hand man, put me in touch with Amsatou, a serious photographer. SERIOUS. I stress the word. My day started early, was filled with meetings, music,and trips across town in surprisingly robust cabs hovering over surprisingly robust streets.

Now for the music.... I met Manjul today, a white guy with the longest dreadlocks I've ever seen. I gotta give it up, his roots reggae sound is TIGHT. Jamaica meets the kora. I also got plenty of phone numbers and leads, Bamako sounds much more promising than expected - I assumed Malian music did well enough overseas that my help was not as direly needed. Malian music does do well, however here too there is PLENTY of talent waiting to be heard.

I am staying in a pretty cool place, it feels like a nice fresh oasis with shaded patios, lots of plants, and even a swimming pool. It's away from the bustling city center, across the Niger (!!!) river. But I'm leaving this joint tomorrow to go stay with Amsatou and her family, they have a few rooms they rent out to travelers. Living Malian in style.

Sagacité!
Thursday, April 10, 2008 5:34 AM
Bonjour,

I just arrived in Abidjan, where the sticky weather is actually a relief. My stay in Bamako was great and highly productive, I met many talented Peul and Manding musicians, and a bunch of reggae artists. I stayed with a family in an all-Malian neighborhood. I was well fed and very well taken care of. My local contact, Amsatou, helped me navigate the town and kept a better schedule than I ever could... Bamako is hot, dusty, crowded and filled with wonderful diesel fumes. Yet it's charming and I'll miss it. It's the people mostly. Simple and welcoming. It was also the experience of living among them, whereas in Dakar I was still in a pretty white/wealthy environment.

As I walked across the tarmac to the plane taking me to Abidjan, Bamako gave me a last souvenir, scorching hot gusts of dusty wind... so the 86 degrees and tropical thunderstorms here in Côte d'Ivoire seem like a soft breeze.

Abidjan is NOTHING like Bamako or even Dakar. The airport is nicer than Charles de Gaule in Paris, the business district of Le Plateau looks almost like downtown Miami, with skyscrapers, palmtrees and water everywhere. I was picked up at the airport and taken straight to Yopougon, a popular neighborhood where the many Lebanese and Whito expats don't always venture, but where the sounds are FRESH. Here too there is a LOT of music... and a very different musical culture. To grossly simplify, if Mali has the blues, Côte d'Ivoire has party music. He he, I can work with that!!

I'll try to post pix again soon... til then!

Benjamin

Veggie Delight
Tuesday, April 15, 2008 10:18 AM
Ahoy,

In this episode, I will purposely digress and share anecdotes which hopefully will disturb you. Especially if you're a vegetarian, he he.

So Côte d'Ivoire has a great wealth of food and national dishes. A meal is typically comprised of some sort of starch and some sort of meat served in a stew.

For starch, there's rice, atiéké and futu/fufu. Atiéké is delicious, it looks like couscous but it's made from yucca. Futu and fufu are fermented doughs made of yucca, plantains, corn or any other similar plant. Everything besides rice is eaten with the right hand, the left hand - which I normally favor - being dedicated to specific bodily cleansing, and therefor off limits during meals.

There are various types of stews, or sauces. 2 African staples are peanut sauce and palm sauce, but Côte d'Ivoire also has eggplant, "grain" (still not sure what it is), tomato, and different types of gombo, which I think is okra, only more slimy.

Now the meats..... there are meats I have chosen to eat at night, and meats I eat anytime. There's lots of fish, good chicken, goat or lamb, sometimes beef parts, usually the tips of the beast, feet, tail, tongue, etc. Now there are more exotic meats, such as snails... hedgehog... monkey... cat.... and a variety of forest creatures I'm unable to translate the names of (and often have no clue what they are). Some of these meats I prefer to eat at night when the lighting is dim and I can't really tell what I'm eating. But the bottom line is I haven't eaten anything I didn't like! I was a little disturbed last night when I grabbed a chicken drumstick: I couldn't find any meat on it and couldn't understand why it had so many bones. As it turned out, it wasn't a drumstick but a chicken foot.

YUM

But believe it or not, I am starting to crave the food here, some of the sauces are DELICIOUS, and some of the more exotic meats, such as hedgehog, are quite tasty as well.

There are also plenty of tropical fruits and street foods which I gorge myself with.

Côte d'Ivoire reminds me a lot of Brazil, or I should say Abidjan reminds me of Rio. The weather is similar, Abidjan is much flatter but has a lagoon and water all over the place, people are extremely proud of their country and are known for their joie de vivre, or love of outdoors partying/socializing/music. Both cities are also socially fucked up, with huge gaps between a wealthy, fairly arrogant elite and the common poor. Both countries love big butts, Côte d'Ivoire has bobaraba, and Brazil has bundas. I also imagine the center part of Côte d'Ivoire and Bahia are similar, since both revolve around coffee and cocoa.

Enough with the geographic study. Living conditions. I am staying with Fulbert Koffi. Those who speak French will appreciate the name, and I'd like to add that his little brother is called Célestin. Koffi is a really nice, welcoming guy, he is sharing his tiny studio with me, and the occasional enormous cockroaches which I enjoy killing.

He lives in Yopougon, the largest district of Abidjan. It's north of Le Plateau, the biznass district, and Adjamé, which has a huge, chaotic outdoor market. Yopougon is the cultural heart of the city, far from Cocody, Marcory and the other nicer, whiter parts of town. I hardly see anyone but Ivorians here, the huge Lebanese and large French populations keep to their quarters apparently. People are generally welcoming, although I can still feel occasional resentment towards the French.

Yopougon is home to the rue Princesse, a notorious stretch famous for its loud nightlife. Sure enough Koffi's place is a few minutes away so I quickly got a taste of it. Rue Princesse has a few blocks of door to door maquis'. The typical maquis serves drinks and sometimes food, and is completely open onto the street. There are no neighbors complaining about the noise, no police officers shutting places down because of noise complaints or public drinking. There are no sidewalks either, so cars and night owls are only inches away. The overall chaos is bliss if you ask me, I haven't noticed any real problems or situations here at night.

Music-wise...... there are nice tunes. Some of them quite catchy. But a lot of the popular music here is fairly TERRIBLE. Thankfully, there is so much range and so many artists and studios that certain niches still amount to a lot of good stuff. The main problem with the music is the biggest threat I've encountered here in Africa: the cheap ass synthesizers. Contrary to Mali, Côte d'Ivoire seems to have fewer actual musicians. Most artists here are singers, whereas Mali has plenty of kora, balafon or guitar players. So Ivorians use synths for almost EVERYTHING. And that makes the music fairly unbearable. Unless it's blasted so loud that only the beat and bass are distinguishable. This is not unlike Ghana, where I found amazing tracks, but where the average song is SO BAD you wonder how music production is filtered... and basically, it's not. Those who record are the ones who can score enough money, or know a producer well enough, not those who are the most musically inclined.

Also worth noting: Ivorians dress up. People in Dakar dress pretty smart too, but Ivorians do it up in style. A pretty loud style, largely inspired by bling bling American hip hop. The logo I see the most is probably Dolce & Gabbana, followed closely by Armani. And of course plenty of Nike, Lacoste, etc. Either that or plain old business attire. Slacks and tucked-in shirts. But whether it's bling bling or work clothes, my Havaiana flip flops are not a big hit with my counterparts here. All day people stare at my feet and seem to wonder why whites are so WEIRD. Comfort over credibility!

That's the story for now, I have many other things to share, we can discuss when I see you!!!

Cheers,

Benjamin

Written news!
Friday, April 18, 2008 12:15 PM
Hi sweetheart,

Sweetheart sounds kinda cheesy, no?

So I have nothing new to report, I miss you like crazy, and each of these last days that pass by feel more and more like TORTURE! But I console myself by imagining the moment I finally see you... my liberation! Never again baby, it's too painful without you. Next time I have to go somewhere for so long, I'm taking you with me!!!!! I'll figure out a way to make the journey worth your time, because there's no way around it!!!!

OK, so let's try to tell you something you DON'T KNOW.... I wonder how Africa could possibly outgrow its deep rooted poverty. Everything here is so disorganized, and for a Westerner, so illogical. For instance, earlier today instead Koffi and I arrive in the middle of a busy-ass area, with cabs galore passing by, and we wait... and after a few minutes I ask him if we're waiting for a BUS, since I see available cabs rolling by without him reacting. No, we're waiting for a cab. So I mention that there ARE avail cabs passing by, no reaction. So I hail the first cab I see, and off we go.

So I wonder: what the hell were we waiting for? I seriously don't know.

Something else, there's a road right by where I am staying, with a foot or two that are completely fucked up. I mean completely. But it would probably take one person less than a day to at least make the road even. It may last a few weeks only with the rain and all, but it would help traffic, noise; etc. And it's not like people here are lazy or don't do manual work. Quite the contrary. When there's no money, it's all labor. But no one will ever fix this road. Except the government, eventually.... no one gives a shit about the public space, despite the fact that that's where people spend most of their time.

Have you ever heard people say housing projects fall apart because the people who live in them know they will never own them, so there's no point in taking good care of them? I think that makes a lot of sense. And I guess people here must have the same feeling. They feel like they can't change anything, so they don't try to make things better. I think life is so hard no one sees beyond the end of the day. But the problem is if you don't look further you can't move forward.

I feel this problem in my quest: small time musicians struggle so much they don't care what I say, all they want to know is if they'll get money from me TODAY; They'd rather get a buck today than a hundred next month or a thousand next year. So the people I end up having an easier time dealing with are more well-off musicians and producers....

I'll stop blabbering, I hope you don't mind me venting. More than venting, I actually kinda feel like I AM talking to you, as if you were right next to me.... baby I can't wait!!!!!

Love of my life, I'll leave you for now, but I can't wait to read you, hear you, and in less than 3 weeks, touch you, hold you, kiss you, and much, much more, some of it involving a little pain, hee hee!!!!!

Love love love and also very... thoughts......

Monkey Boy

Accra etc
Saturday, April 26, 2008 5:37 AM
Ahoy,

Quick note, not from Ghana, where I should be, but from Lomé, Togo, where I end up staying for the week end!!! I can never cover enough ground, he he.

The trip from Abidjan to Accra was.... ummm, a bit SLOWER than expected. 13 hours for 300 miles, not bad? 13 hours for 300 miles makes sense in a rattly old bus on pot hole filled roads, but the bus was modern and the roads well paved. I'm not sure how to explain the delays. Unsollicited and unexplainable pit stops galore basically.

I'll write more soon...... but if anyone tries to call, I won't be reachable on the Ghana number til monday, but I can be reached here on Yak's number at +228 941 7887

Cheers for now!

B

Slight technical difficulties
Sunday, April 27, 2008 5:38 AM
Oi oi oi,

No, I wasn't kidnapped mid-sentence, I am alive and kickin' it in Cotonou, Bénin. Quick update: I was in Accra when I was given a good contact in Lomé, Togo, which is only 3 hours from Accra. So I arrived in Lomé friday afternoon, met up with Alain, a Frenchy who has his hands deep in the Togolese scene, and who also happens to be an ancient African art dealer, with AMAZING art all over his AMAZING house, in which I spent the night. My room had such good local contemporary art that it eclipsed the authentic Warhol painting I slept under. BANANAS.

In Lomé I went to a free outdoors hip hop concert on Friday night. That was a trip. If you think Coachella is exciting, try to imagine people here who rarely have access to free live music, at a concert headlined by Awadi, pioneer of the Senegalese hip hop scene and a major star throughout Francophone Africa. The show was one of the very best hip hop performances I've seen in.... years. It was a real hip hop play/opera, much much better than any of the half-ass equivalents I've witnessed back in the States. Unfortunately I will not be coming home with this - yet! It's fascinating to see how hip hop has blown up all over the globe, it's such a versatile style of music, and here in Africa artists are finally stepping away from US imitations to truly incorporate their rich musical heritage.

Saturday morning, Alain asked: why don't I go to Bénin?!?! Cotonou is only 2 hours away. So here I am. It's amazing how different the music is a mere 100 miles away. Bénin is home to voodou, and some of the traditional music here is remarkably similar to Brazilian candomblé - which I love. So I'm a happy camper, this 14 hour visit to Cotonou is unbearably short but very, very productive.

Later today I head back to Lomé, and first thing tomorrow I go back to Accra, and possibly to Kumasi, heart of the Ashanti culture, and home to many old highlife geniuses. Highlife is the Ghanaian equivalent of Afro-beat, a style developped in the 60s, fusing tradition with elements brought by the Brits: electric guitars, horns, funk. I think finding some of this 60s highlife is too good to be true, but even if I only get my hands on a few records for my own listening pleasure, I'll be STOKED.

So these last few days are a little insane.... I leave Accra on Thursday, I have more meetings than I can fit, and enough good shtuff to launch a VERY exciting catalog. I can't wait to share it, but for the time being, I will tease you just a little longer :p

Cheers!

Benjamin

Happy Ending
Wednesday, May 7, 2008 10:38 AM
Oi,

Last you heard I was in Accra - I think?
I wrapped everything up nicely in Accra, met up with the biggest Ghanaian stars (who's music I'm actually not particularly fond of), dealt with some of the worse scheduling of my entire trip, ate some of the hugest and tastiest mountains of food in a long while, and barely managed to pack the numerous CDs I gathered in my not-all-that-big backpack.

I got back to Paris via Tripoli, Libya, where I had the choice between watching huge photos of Khadafi plastered all over the airport, CNN Europe's unbearably mediocre news (and ridiculous accents, they had a Scot - I think - commenting on the weather. They might as well broadcast in Chinese), and reruns of KNIGHT RIDER. Nothing but the finest of American culture makes it out there.

Speaking of American culture abroad, I heard 50 Cent just played in Lagos, Nigeria, for half a million bucks. He arrived, played 3 songs, and left straight to the airport. This was his second time in Nigeria, the first time he got his ass kicked. So much for the tough guy image and sharing with his "African brothers". This makes him more repulsive than ever to me.
I could also mention Senegalese-born Akon who refused to play in Dakar for $300,000. Not sure which story is worse.

Anyway........

On the bright side, my return to the Western world was great: the weather in Paris was beau-T-ful, so my last memories are of streets filled with people, and the day lingering on til about 9:30pm.... I miss those long evenings.
Another bright aspect is the combination of, let's call it customer service and homosexuality: I was very concerned by my crappy seat from Frankfurt to LA, 11:45 hours of no leg-room pleasure. I asked a "friendly" dude if there were any emergency exit seats left. He handed me a ticket saying "it's not an emergency exit seat, but I think you'll like it".... minutes later I was pigging out at the United business lounge, thanks to my BUSINESS CLASS TICKET.

Now back in LA, barely readjusting........ although scarfing down juicy burgers is NOT BAD AT ALL.

Thanks to all of you who sent me friendly replies! I know my emails were completely impersonal, but I did get a little lonely at times and really appreciated all of your messages. I will probably add some pictures to my blog for future reference, but the next step is making all this amazing music shareable.... so give me a few months and you should hear this stuff inundating a niche near you!!!!!!

Cheeeeeeeeeeeeers,

Benjamin