Electricity is abundant on the latest vivid installment in Soundway’s archival compilations of Ghanaian music, Ghana Special 2: Electronic Highlife and Afro Sounds in the Diaspora, 1980-93. Encompassing a wide range of styles that fall in large part under the umbrella of burger-highlife, a term for music with roots in both the popular 19th-century West African dance genre and 20th-century European club scenes, the album’s 18 substantial tracks are packed with synths, horns, and all kinds of driving beats. The collection chronicles flows across space and time through interactions between highlife and myriad other older and newer sounds of the African diaspora. It’s a brilliant slice of pop music history, telling stories of movement and innovation via irresistible grooves.
For globally-minded music fans, many artists here will sound familiar: Pat Thomas, Ebo Taylor, Ata Kak, Gyedu-Blay Ambolley, Charles Amoah, and Ernest Honny are all staples of Ghanaian pop releases and reissues. Name recognition, though, is no prerequisite to partying. Every artist brings unforgettable style to the mix. The two openers are straighter highlife, the Godfathers’ “Ebe Ye Yie Ni”, a relatively analog funk track, and Pat Thomas and Ebo Taylor’s “Gye Wani”, an instant classic from two powerhouses. Thomas’ voice is in especially fine and aerodynamic form, while Taylor’s cool guitar leads a full band. From this rock-solid foundation, the album twists and turns repeatedly with exciting ease.
Pepper, Onion, Ginger & Salt’s “M.C. Mambo” makes for an early exemplar of the album’s breadth. Son clave rhythms back catchy guitar and synth ostinati, buoyant rapping, soulful horns, and, at one point, an angelic female choral group, a quirky sonic collage that wraps 1970s warmth up in spacey 1980s aesthetics with art and confidence. Kwasi Afari Minta’s “Barima Nsu” brings boogie to the table. Marijata and Ata Kak’s “Otanhunu” makes even more pronounced moves toward the fully electronic via a plethora of keys. Bessa Simons’s “Sii Nana” is almost fully plugged in, save Diane McLoughlin’s blistering sax.
Beyond questions of acoustic and electronic, though, there are even more satisfying layers to explore. Andy Vans’ percussive “Adjoa Amisa” evokes lively French Antillean zouk. There’s a romantic swell to George Darko’s “Kaakyire Nua”. The vocal harmonies of Starlite’s “Anoma Koro” and Jon K’s “Asafo” take them from pure synthpop to sweeter blends. Ernest Honny transcends genre on sensuous, keyboard-loaded “New Dance”. Gyedu-Blay Ambolley’s “Apple” leans jazz, and Nana Budjei’s “Asobrachie” swings fully into electronic reggae.
It’s just the beginning. As Ghana Special 2 unfurls, it reveals an expansive notion of what makes a work authentically highlife, authentically Ghanaian, even. Every track captivates in its distinct way, sounding different aspects of highlife’s cosmopolitan nature. They hold up, too, fashionably vintage on the whole and multidimensional enough that brightness never slips too far into cartoonish kitsch. Over four decades have passed since the earliest piece here, and it feels like just long enough for these songs to sound fresh, fun, and ready for your worldliest summer block party.