Loose Egusi 001 - From Sega to Sankofa

In the first edition of Loose Egusi, there's funky highlife, afro-synth classics, Detroit techno, and we're keeping our Ear To The Ground in Mauritius!

Welcome welcome welcome! Right, no messing about, show round-up first, followed by a full tracklist, top tracks, a mini-art review, and the all-important sources. Thanks to The BoatPod for hosting us on their wonderful studio-ship in London, and to Mixcloud for featuring the show on its homepage! (and on our debut show no less! an auspicious start, in the words of M People - Things Can Only Get Better!). As with every episode, all feedback and comments are welcome, and if you know anyone from our country of the month, send the show to them and see what they make of it! Shouts to the Mauritian crew.

Click the button below to listen to the show!

https://www.mixcloud.com/TheBoAtPod/repeat-beat-poet-loose-egusi-the-boat-pod-february-2023/

We begin with an uptempo bang, it’s wall-to-wall movers and groovers, including the luscious soul-disco gem This Is What You Are by Mario Bondi, the iconic 80s afro-disco single I Need Someone by Nigerian vocalist Kris Okotie, and then Let’s Give It Up for your new favourite revolutionary techno-gospel hybrid from Detroit’s own Waajeed. After that, we bring it down, transitioning through some mid-70s Californian pop-soul, grounding down with Ghanaian all-female collective Black Girls Glow and an empowering mantra from NYC-based Afro-Jamaican Iniko, who’s track has been spread far and wide on TikTok, Instagram, and now on the radio airwwaves.

Then we’re off to the glorious island nation of Mauritius for this month’s Ear To The Ground! There’s an introduction to the history of the island wrapped in a wonderfully bright song with simple lyrics including some key Kreol phrases from the Dukesbridge United school choir, and Indian Ocean music ambassador Grace Barbe introduces the undeniable bounce one-TWO-three bounce of Sega, with the help of one of the all-time drumming GOATs, Tony Allen. We also hear traditional sega music from Serge Lebrasse, skilled on the ravanne (goat-skin tambourine-style) and triangle, with a song detailing life in the aftermath of Storm Carol in 1960. His lyrics emphasise the fragility of life of the everyday poor of the island in the face of storms, cyclones, and floods. The tune is sadly relevant as 60 years on, the islands off Africa’s south-east coast are being battered by ever worse bouts of extreme weather, largely caused and exacerbated by historical emissions from Mauritius’ formerly colonising nations. In January 2023 Cyclone Cheneso made land in Madagascar and led to the deaths of dozens, the displacement of tens of thousands, and the destruction of acres of crops.

Loose Egusi Vol. 001

Hologram Teen - Okandjambameya
Malente - Funk The Rich
Marxist Disco Love Ensemble - Material
Waajeed - Let's Give It Up (ft. Archpriest Rev. Wanika K. Stephens, De’Sean Jones)
Mario Biondi and the High Five Quintet - This Is What You Are
Buari - Advice From Father
Kris Okotie - I Need Someone
The African Dawn - Intifaada
Osaymore Joseph - My Name Is Money
Ariya Astrobeat Arkestra - Sankofa (ft. Testament)
The Hues Corporation - Go To The Poet
Black Girls Glow - Beside You (ft. Lindsey Abudei, Lor & Lily Asia)
Iniko - The King's Affirmation
L-Nino - Promo Purposes (ft. Jxrdxn Uncxmmxn)
Joe James - London Tipton
Show Dem Camp - Kele (ft. Boj)
Lé Lé - Are You For This?

Ear To The Ground - Mauritius
Serge Lebrasse - A Cause Sa Cyclone La
Dukesbridge United - Children Of All Colours (Zanfan Tou Kouler) ft. Linzy Bacbotte
Zulu - Mauricienne
Grace Barbe - Afro Sega (Tony Allen Remix)
Alex Margéot - Pistas Sale (ft. Menwar)

Black Thought & Danger Mouse - The Darkest Part (ft. Raekwon & Kid Sister)
Whitney Houston - How Will I Know

RBPicks - Top Tracks

Waajeed - Let's Give It Up (ft. Archpriest Rev. Wanika K. Stephens, De’Sean Jones) - available via Bandcamp.
L-Nino - Promo Purposes (ft. Jxrdxn Uncxmmxn) - available on all streaming sites, interview in Wordplay Magazine
Serge Lebrasse - A Cause Sa Cyclone La. Available on the Soul Sega Sa! compilation from Bongo Joe records.

RBPortraits
Shiraz Bayjoo - En Famille 4 [2015]

The artwork for this show is from UK-based Mauritian artist Shiraz Bayjoo‘s fantastic series ‘En Famille’ [2015]. Each of the artworks in the series consists of photographs from a rich family’s 19thC photo album, placed inside trays formerly belonging to Baykoo’s aunt, who was a jeweller on the island. I was moved by these images, their mix of soft dappled paints laid over these dark figures, how the pictures are (re)presented as beautiful artworks, (re)positioning people who were enslaved or indentured to serve as inherently valuable, displayed in frames originally built to house jewellery.

Thanks for reading, the next episode will be MARCH 1ST, 12-2pm, with a focus on Cameroon. Listen live on The BoatPod .

Sources -

https://www.stampthewax.com/2020/11/05/a-brief-history-of-mauritian-sega-music/
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0016718522001105
https://dukesbridge.com/dukesbridge-united/