Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Sakhile












































Artist: Sakhile
Album: Sakhile
Label: Jive Afrika
Year: 1982

1. Sakhile (We Have Built)
2. Idayimane (Diamonds)
3. Ubuhkebakho (You're So Beautiful)
4.  Mantombi (No Literal Translation, A Girl's Name)
5. Isililo (A Mourning Song)
6. Beautiful Feeling (Isimo Esimnandi)
7. A Night To Remember (Ubusuku Obumnandi)
8. Kusinwa Kudedelwane (It's My Turn, Now)

Sipho Gumede: Bass and 8-string bass, vocals, percussion
Khaya Mahlangu: Tenor and Soprano saxophones, vocals, percussion
Themba Mkhize: Keyboards, vocals
Menyatso Mathole: Guitar, vocals
Madoda Mathunjwa: Drums, vocals
Mabi Thobejane: Percussion

I found this one at a book store up here in Berkeley, amongst a strangely good collection of other foreign vinyl. 

Sakhile ("We Have Built") was a South African band that gained notoriety in the early 1980's through their many live shows, for they never had wide commercial acclaim. "We Have Built" as a name was a strong cultural reaction to the oppressive Apartheid regime, a system that needed dismantling, and their music was "built" on a blend of South African traditional music and 70's era fusion and funk.  You can find more information on them here and here

This album was released in the US through Arista records, though as mentioned the band only had limited radio support. The Afro-fusion blend is prevalent throughout all the tracks, with one genre more dominant than the other in certain cases. A few of the tracks sound close to Weather Report fusion, others to Fela-esque afrobeat, and my favorites sound like American funk and soul with an African feel. "Sakhile" (the title track, and the band name...?) has a great drum beat and a hard, punchy bassline, and "Kusinwa Kudedelwane" has elements reminiscent of War, Cymande, and Bob James, all combined into something uniquely Sakhile.

Here's the title track for you check out:


Ripped from vinyl at 320 kbps (mp3). Download the album here.


Much love,

This Mutha

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

DOPE! bass humpin ya face.

-zar

Anonymous said...

nice find. I like the connection to Cymande. Thanks for sharing. From Canada.

Anonymous said...

good stuff

Anonymous said...

Thanks for sharing this. I'm really enjoying it!

Anonymous said...

I just got an original copy of this - neat little LP.

Thanks for sparing me to do a rip. :-)

Best from Germany!

Anonymous said...

hey man,
thanks for the upload!

Could you tell me what recording gear you used to record this?
Love the sound quality/loudness here!

Your help would be very much appreciated!

greetings

Anonymous said...

Saw them live in Swaziland '89, with a 14 people ensemble. One of the best acts i had ever seen.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for sharing.

Guitarradeplastico,scraping oddities said...

Many thanks

Anonymous said...

Saw them many times live in the 1980s. They were a great live band. They were very performative and part of a growing resistance culture in South Africa. They used to do the best version of Hugh Masekela's song Stimela that I have ever heard. I wish they had recorded it.