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Avg: 4.0 (47 ratings)
- Date Released: May 9, 2006
- Genre: International
- Style: Alternative, Africa
- Label: Thrill Jockey
Two parts Afropop, two parts indie rock.
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We Say...
Ian Eagleson and Alex Minoff of DC-based Golden — a group responsible for such chunky instrumental tracks as "Records Is For Assholes," "The Quim Adjuster," and (sorry) "Cleveland Steamer" — have come a long way indeed. The best Afrobeat-indie rock meltdown I've ever heard, OK-Oyot System ("it's not easy" in Kenya's Luo language) achieves a scruffy perfection by its third (and title) track. That's when the borders dividing the wonderful singer-guitarist Otieno Jagwasi and drummer Onyano Wuod Omari, of the Nairobi-based benga group Orchestra Extra Solar Africa, and their American friends dissolve into music that bubbles as intensely as it broods. The album opens and closes with loping, dozen-minute tracks. In-between, the Golden boys prove themselves magnificent mopers on "It's Not Easy" and syrupy "Tussin and Fightin'," which they perform alone. By the time it's over, what may have begun as an academic exercise turns out to be an emotional elegy: Otieno died of HIV-related liver failure in 2005.
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They Say...
Ok-Oyot System is a wonderful collaboration between Americans Ian Eagleson and Alex Minoff of Golden and Kenyans Otieno Jagwasi and Onyango Wuod Omari of Orchestra Extra Solar Africa. The sessions grew out of Eagleson's doctoral work on the Benga music of Kenya and Nairobi, but this isn't really an attempt at playing true Benga music. There's certainly an African feel throughout the album, but you can hear that everyone brought a little bit to the table. "Ilando Gima Onge" and "Nyajondere" (the only track written without Eagleson and Minoff) are the closest to straight-up Afro-pop, but even "It's Not Easy," which has more of a rock sound, and "Tussin and Fightin'" (both recorded without Jagwasi and Omari) have vaguely African guitar. In fact, those were songs Minoff and Eagleson had been working on prior to working with Jagwasi and Omari, but they found a way to transform the songs into more of an African sound for this project. Other pieces were equally collaborative, like "Ok-Oyot System" which mixes both Kenyan and English to great effect and features some wonderful guitar tones. "Ok-Oyot" translates to "It's not easy," and the songs all touch on various difficult aspects of living a life. However, the music itself retains the lightness and a certain joy common to so much African music. Like some of the finest vintage highlife recordings, there's a rawness to these performances that adds that extra kick, and the players come up with some fantastic guitar sounds while they dance around each other and the groove (and check out the hi hat work on "Osama Rach"). With no song under five minutes, there's ample time for guitar interplay but the songs never overstay their welcome. It's too bad more cross-cultural collaborations don't come off as naturally as this. Unfortunately, the passing of Otieno Jagwasi in May of 2005 probably put an end to Extra Golden, but Ok-Oyot System is an excellent album that will serve as a tribute to his memory.
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| 01. |  |
Ilando Gima Onge |
11:06 |
|
| 02. | |
It's Not Easy |
7:11 |
|
| 03. | |
OK-Oyot System |
6:22 |
|
| 04. | |
Osama Rach |
6:14 |
|
| 05. | |
Tussin and Fightin' |
7:05 |
|
| 06. | |
Nyajondere |
12:09 |
|
06 Total Tracks, 50:07 Total Length
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Credits
- Ian Eagleson - Bass // Ian Eagleson - Guitar // Ian Eagleson - Vocals // Ian Eagleson - Group Member // Alex Minoff - Guitar // Alex Minoff - Drums // Alex Minoff - Vocals // Alex Minoff - Group Member // Jonathan Kreinik - Mixing // Nikhil Ranade - Mixing // Otieno Jagwasi - Bass // Otieno Jagwasi - Guitar // Otieno Jagwasi - Vocals // Otieno Jagwasi - Group Member // Onyango Wuod Omari - Drums // Onyango Wuod Omari - Group Member
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