Awesome Tapes From Africa and Ata Kak at The Lantern review

Image: Awesome Tapes From Africa

A packed Lantern, within the Colston Hall in Bristol, was fortunate enough to witness two prominent acts; Ata Kak and DJ Katapila, from Brian Shimkovitz’s blog-turned-record label Awesome Tapes From Africa.

Celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, it was most fitting that Shimkovitz brought along with him Ata Kak. Real name Yaw Atta-Owusu, the enigmatic Ghanaian rapper is the main reason why the LA resident launched the Awesome Tapes From Africa blog in the first place.

The origins of how Shimkovitz arrived at this point today began in 2002 when he chanced upon a copy of Ata Kak’s cassette ‘Obaa Sima’ (originally released in 1994) at a street market in Ghana’s Cape Coast region whilst in the country undertaking ethnomusicology research.

This life-changing purchase eventually led the diligent American on a 13 year global quest to locate the artist in order to get permission to re-release the album, which finally got a reissue in 2015. Nowadays, the role of an A&R scout simply doesn’t get any more dedicated and inspiring than this. 

DJ sets from Brian Shimkovitz, not to mention gigs by any of the African artists serving on ATFA, are certainly rare to come by in the UK. It came as no surprise then that this mid-week session at The Lantern was a sold out event. Equipped with the uncommon technical set-up of two tape decks, a mixer, and an arsenal of cassette tapes at his disposal, the label boss opened up the showcase with a remarkable set.

His mix encompassed a myriad of groovy African jams, which quickly got the early attendees right into their element. The refreshing lack of familiar songs in his set is a clear testament that Shimkovitz has amassed a serious collection of obscure, yet extraordinary gems throughout his regular travels to the motherland. He enthusiastically shared the sounds with a western audience who reacted with appreciation, evident in much of the dancefloor antics that ensued. 

Next up on the bill was Ishmael Abbey, better known as DJ Katapila, another fine discovery from Ghana and a more recent addition to ATFA’s roster. Their profile has risen significantly on an international level since his overlooked 2009 album ‘Trotro’ was reissued on wax earlier this year to critical acclaim.

Renowned in his homeland for marathon day-long DJ sets, Abbey had no problem controlling the Lantern’s dancefloor. The seasoned DJ conjured a lively party atmosphere and kept the crowd entertained, not only through his choice tune selection, but also through live aspects. This included live hits on an electronic drum pad and freestyle raps in his native Ga and Twi dialects, over the syncopated soca-style rhythms.

Given that this was the first time DJ Katapila has ever performed in the UK; if this barnstorming set and the crowd’s raucous reaction is anything to go by, then it probably won’t be long before we see the tireless DJ/producer playing at British clubnights and festivals on a regular basis.

The highlight of the evening was without a doubt Ata Kak’s live performance. Donning shades and fitted smart-casual attire, the rapper graced the stage around 9:00pm with a full band in tow. They comprised of a bassist/guitarist, a multi-skilled backing vocalist and two keyboardists who laid down the sparse sequenced beats, catchy melodies and chords.

Although live instrumentation was limited, the band translated the raw, DIY-produced electronic sound of Ata Kak’s original recordings effectively live, and added a bit more of a polished sound and punch to the tracks. The artist ran through all seven of the songs from his fabled cassette ‘Obaa Sima’, where each song was met with rapturous delight by the appreciative audience made up of young students and twenty to thirty-somethings, through to older ‘world music’ enthusiasts.

The album’s title track received the most ecstatic response from the audience, who danced along to the infectious, bouncy groove, as Ata Kak delivered his frenetic scat-raps in Twi with aplomb. Other standout numbers of the setlist such as ‘Moma Yendodo’ and ‘Daa Nyinaa’ also went down a treat. Although Ata Kak had been musically inactive for some time before his fate encounter with Shimkovitz, onstage he proved he has all the makings of a foreign star in the Western world.

There were indulgent dance moves across stage and plenty of social interaction with the audience that he completely won over, especially feeding of his affable energy and omnipresent smile. It was something of a privilege for Bristolian attendees that this opening show of the UK tour is just Ata Kak’s second live performance in the UK, following his debut at London’s Field Day festival in the summer. He appeared to be genuinely humbled and grateful to be playing to a full capacity crowd who braved the chilly October climate on a school night to come and see him perform. 

Shimkovitz returned for the last hour to conclude the evening on a high, that saw him play another on-point mix of afro funk rhythms and African disco numbers, all of which kept the insatiable crowd dancing until the music stopped and the venue's lights were switched on at 11:00pm sharp.

With the devoted crowd buzzing with sweaty joy, and clearly craving more, for most it seemed to be all over way too soon. All in all it was a riveting night throughout, however the event would have much better suited a Friday night, whereby the venue’s closing license perhaps could have stretched a little longer. This would have meant that the bulk of the crowd could have partied a little harder with the delightful prospect of no work or university lectures the following day.

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