various artists: cameroon garage funk
Francisco Espregueira
Analog Africa’s new release introduces us to the underground garage funk scene of 1970’s Yaoundé, Cameroon’s capital. Without an infrastructure to immortalise a lot of its independent artists, the scene was inventive in the midst of the difficulties of finding spots to record their songs. Cameroon Garage Funk is a compilation of 16 tracks and is a perfect portrait of resilience and desire to create. Around that time it was possible to book the national broadcasting company together with a sound engineer, but this was hardly an option for underground artists with no cash. Luckily an alternative emerged in form of an adventist church with some good recording equipment. Many of the artists on this compilation recorded their first few songs, secretly, in these premises thanks to Monsieur Awono, the church engineer. He knew the schedule of the priests and, in exchange for some cash, he would arrange recording sessions. The artists still had to bring their own equipment, and since there was only one microphone, the amps and instruments had to be positioned perfectly. It was a risky business for everyone involved but since they knew they were making history, it was all worth it.
At the end of the recording, the master reel would be handed to whoever had paid for the session, usually the artist himself. These recordings were, more than often, saved by the french label Sonafric, that would offer their manufacturing and distribution structure. Many Cameroonian artists used that platform to kickstart their career. Who are these artists, tho? In fact, some of the names were so obscure that even the most seasoned veterans of the Cameroonian music scene had never heard of them. The invaluable work of Analog Africa involved a few trips to the land of Makossa and many hours of interviews to get enough insight to assemble the puzzle-pieces of Yaoundé’s buzzing 1970’s music scene. The truth is that, despite the myriad difficulties involved in the simple process of making and releasing a record, the musicians of Yaoundé’s underground music scene left behind an extraordinary legacy of raw grooves and magnificent tunes. During that time, no matter how dodgy, the capital was filled with music spots and buzzing, colorfoul feelings. The songs may have been recorded in a church, with a single microphone in the span of only an hour or two, but the fact that we still pay attention to these great creations some 50 years later, only illustrates the timelessness of their music. Cameroon Garage Funk is available on vinyl, with the curation of Analog Africa. Collection material.