Engineer Cory Wong talks about remastering the Continental Records LP reissue of Vis-A-Vis’ rare Ghanaian LP Obi Agye Me Dofo.
Remastering Obi Agye Me Dofo by Vis-A-Vis
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Vis-A-Vis Obi Agye Me Dofo LP Reissue
Vis-A-Vis — Obi Agye Me Dofo
The hard touring West African stalwarts Vis-A-Vis helped propel K. Frimpong to fame as one of Ghana’s most popular stars of the 1970s. On Frimpong’s records they were usually known as the Cubano Fiestas, but Vis-A-Vis recorded a number of albums under their own name. Led by vocalist Isaac “Superstar” Yeboah and featuring top players like Sammy Cropper on guitar, Slim Manu on bass and Gybson “Shaolin Kung-Fu” Papra on drums, Vis-A-Vis were both a popular live act and in-demand studio musicians, becoming the de facto house band at Ghanaian independent label Ofo Brothers Records. Continental Records is proud to announce the release of the group’s rare and essential 1977 LP Obi Agye Me Dofo. Briefly issued as an LP in the US in 1980, this is the first proper vinyl reissue of the album in its original Ghanaian form. The title track is very much in the mold of Frimpong’s big hits and the eight minute Kankyema shows how Vis-A-Vis could lock into a propelling funk groove with Superstar Yeboah’s soulful vocals riding on top. The three tracks on side 2 show Vis-A-Vis as masters of a spiraling, hypnotic Highlife.
Original copies of this LP are scarce and in great demand. Along with the Frimpong albums it is one of the most sought after West African records from the golden age. This reissue has been handled with the utmost respect — every detail has been given strict attention and care. The remastered LP has never sounded more direct, vibrant and timeless. Each LP comes with a free HQ MP3 download of the entire album and is packaged in a resealable dust bag.
K. Frimpong record release party Tuesday!
Celebrating the re-release of K. Frimpong & his Cubano Fiestas’ funky and highly sought-after 1976 album from Ghana, Continental Records and Secret Stash Records are hosting a party on June 28 at Cause Spirits and Soundbar in Minneapolis. DJs include Salif Keita (African Rhythms, KFAI), Paul Harding (Radio K International), DJ Steely (Kinda Cloudy Radio, KFAI) and General Moses (Legends of Ska) spinning classic African sounds. There will be LP giveaways and lots more!
K. Frimpong’s 1976 LP in stores this week!
We’ve carefully remastered (and cleaned up the graphics) one of the most sought after West African LPs of the 1970s – K. Frimpong & His Cubano Fiesta’s incredible self-titled album originally issued in Ghana in 1976. This is the first full reissue of the record and it will be available on vinyl only (including an MP3 download of the entire disc). The LP will start hitting stores in a few days but you don’t have to wait — you can order a copy today.
Legends of Ska Kickstarter campaign underway
Our friends at Steady Rock are taking things into high gear as they inaugurate their Kickstarter campaign to finish the Legends of Ska documentary about the birth of Jamaica’s vibrant music scene and the amazing reunion of many of the architects of Ska including Prince Buster, Derrick Morgan, Alton Ellis, The Skatalites and a host of others. If you’d like to be a participant, go there, check out the brand new trailer and participate!
photo: Derrick Morgan by Greg Locks, courtesy of Legends of Ska
(cross posted at Surface Noise)
K. Frimpong release party tomorrow night!
It is on! From 7 to 10 PM Tuesday evening (2/8/11) at Cause Spirits and Soundbar (Lake & Lyndale in Minneapolis) we’ll be celebrating the release of the K. Frimpong & His Cubano Fiestas LP (an Afrobeat classic from 70′s Ghana never officially available in the US until now). We’ve got some stellar DJs lined up including General Moses, Paul Harding from Radio K International, Salif from African Rhythms on KFAI, DJ Steely from Kinda Cloudy Radio on KFAI, and Mr. Bob Fuchs from the Electric Fetus. We’ll have some LP giveaways during the evening and plenty of great music on the sound system so come on by!
Re-mastering the K. Frimpong LP
Here’s engineer Cory Wong from Secret Stash talking about re-mastering the K. Frimpong & His Cubano Fiestas LP. We were very fortunate that the master we worked with was of exceptional quality (the stereo placement of the musicians is quite precise and stunning to hear).
K. Frimpong
Our industrious colleagues at Secret Stash are not only distributing the new LP reissue of K. Frimpong & His Cubano Fiestas, they’ve been posting informative videos about the album. Here’s one of them — more can be found at the Secret Stash site!
K. Frimpong track!
Here’s a generous sampling of the incredible opening track of the newly reissued LP K. Frimpong & His Cubano Fiestas. Check it out: