Wganda Kenya are one of Colombia’s most innovatory live ensembles and a key proponent in bringing the boundless energy of Afrobeat to the streets and dance halls of Colombia’s Caribbean coast. Between the 1970s and the late 1980s, Wganda Kenya formed part of a small collection of pioneering Afro-Colombian bands that ruled the airwaves in Northern cities like Cartagena and Barranquilla.
Along with sister group Afrosound they were put together in the 1970s by Discos Fuentes, the famous Medellín-based label (often described as Colombia’s version of ‘Motown’ for it’s instrumental role in introducing the nation to its popular Afro-rhythm genres of Cumbia, merengue, porro, fandango and salsa.) Their spearhead, ‘Fruko’ Estrada, was a Colombian icon and salsero who also led the popular 1970s salsa group Fruko Y Sus Tesos.
A title that itself invokes an African heritage, their music combines the furious rhythms inherited from the Fela Kuti albums that were arriving in Colombia’s coastal regions at the time with a large spoonful of 70s funk and their own electric, Latin flavour.
A band little known outside of Colombia, they were given fresh limelight when Glaswegian producer and tastemaker JD Twitch decided to land a fully licensed 12” release with three Wganda Kenya tracks as part of his Autonomous Africa project. The release – ‘Autonomous Africa Vintage 01 – Wganda Kenya’ (above) – constitutes one instalment in an occasional series on the label that aims to highlight the influence of African music across the world. Heading the release and representing one of the band’s most successful tracks is ‘Shakalaodé. Last released on vinyl by Island Records in 1989, it’s a spirited reinvention of Kuti’s track ‘Shakara’ and described by Twitch as a “transcendental Afro Colombian funk bomb”. The track is joined by two other Wganda Kenya gems in ‘Pim Pom’ and ‘La Botellita’.
Popular funk-infused tracks like ‘El Caterete’, ‘El Lobo’ and other cuts of the band can be found on album compilations created by a host of labels with a penchant for promoting Colombian music. These include Soundway Records’ 2010 release ‘Palenque Palenque! Champeta Criolla & & Afro Roots in Colombia 1975-91′, Analog Africa’s ‘Diablos Del Ritmo: The Colombian Melting Pot 1960-1985’, and Quantic’s ‘Tropical Funk Experience’.
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