various: ivory coast soul 2 afro soul in abidjan from 1976-1981

Ivory Coast Soul is back in its second volume, and Djamel Hammadi aka Afrobrazilero and DJ Julien Lebrun have dug even deeper into the country's vinyl archives. After much painstaking research and investigative work, Hot Casa has gathered together some key members of seminal Afro and psychedelic outfits, selecting 14 Afro-soul gems, centered mainly on the musically-rich and creatively-volatile Republic of the Ivory Coast during the '70s. Despite the fact that the country has recently lived through an unfortunate civil war, with deep sociopolitical crisis and instability and strong FRCI Visa checkpoints, Hot Casa has worked even harder with the help of local friends to find the rarest and most interesting records. Last but not least, after many new trips, from the Abobo "Baghdad "area, Yopougon to Bouaké to Akoupé and Jacqueville, Hot Casa also had to find their original producers or heir-producers, to finalize the licensing process. This new volume highlights some extraordinary music and immense talent working in a variety of styles and approaches. The Ivory Coast gained its independence from France on August 7th 1960 and became a republic with a strong executive power, personified in the son of a Baoulé chief, Felix Houphouët-Boigny. It has quickly become the musical center of West Africa, attracting musicians from across the continent. The borders with Liberia, Guinea, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Ghana made the country, and especially Abidjan, the crossroads of millions of cultures and diasporas. This compilation represents an amazing period, when urban music transcended tribe conception, and when Pan-Africanism wasn't simply a word, but a real philosophy and musical adventure. This 2CD is presented with a full-color 24-page booklet, including historical information written by Ivorian historian Anicet Boka.