For those who haven’t heard of Autonomous Africa it is the ongoing project of Glaswegian producer and tastemaker JD Twitch (one half of Optimo) that represents a vision for an Africa insubordinate to the powers of foreign corporations and their vested interest in exploiting the continent’s resources. “An autonomous Africa run by the people for the people” is the message that resounds from each 12” EP released on the label every year.
Three volumes have been released so far with track contributions from Midland, Auntie Flo and General Ludd. All proceeds from the EPs are donated to charity with the original volume supporting the African programmes of Médecin Sans Frontières and the 2nd and 3rd volumes raising funds for the Mtandika Mission in Tanzania.
The Autonomous Africa Vintage No. 1 EP, released in Spring 2015, focusses on one of Colombia’s original Afrobeat ensembles, Wganda Kenya. The EP, formed of a trio of the band’s afro-Colombian gems, constitutes one instalment in an occasional series on the label that aims to underline the influence of African music across the world. In this case, JD Twitch highlights the impact of West African slaves settling in the Northern coastal regions of Colombia and the resulting musical trends to be heard in the bars and dance halls of towns like Cartagena and Barranquilla.
The first song in the EP and representing one of the Wganda Kenya’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 classics in the organ-grooving and percussive ‘Pim Pom’ and the more cumbia-tinged anthem ‘La Botellita’.
For more info on Wganda Kenya click here.