Obaa Sima (LP)


Ata Kak

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Amoeba Review

01/26/2015

Ghanaian highlife artist Ata Kak was brought to light through ethnomusicologist Brian Shimkovitz’s Awesome Tapes From Africa blog when he posted the unstoppable “Daa Nyinaa.” Shimkovitz bought the Ata Kak tape more than a decade ago and finally found him living in Ghana. Only 50 copies of the original Obaa Sima tape were made, and though the original master DAT had disintegrated, Shimkovitz’s tape was used to reissue Obaa Sima. Details of Shimkovitz’s search for Ata Kak could likely fill a book (in fact, a documentary is being made), but it only serves to give the truly awesome Obaa Sima even more allure, as does the tape hiss from the transfer. Its seven tracks offer nothing but good times, a non-stop party that sounds removed from time, full of delightfully rinky-dink synths, instant-play beats and Ata Kak’s motormouth rap. The slightly off-time nature of the backups on “Agdaya,” the louder than necessary mix of the vocals—all things that could be construed as negative instead feel like happy accidents that make Obaa Sima sound so singular. One track flows into another across the album, coming into centerpiece “Daa Nyinaa,” an Afro-house masterpiece of warehouse-party cool. But stick around for the slightly sinister “Yemmpa Aba” and head-bobbing vocal-less closer “Bome Nnwon,” which will have you replaying the entire album once its final handclap echoes into silence. When Ata Kak is on, you won’t want to listen to anything else.



Track Listing



Side A Titles
Artist
Length
1.
Obaa Sima
Ata Kak 05:38
2.
Moma Yendodo
Ata Kak 05:32
3.
Adagya
Ata Kak 04:54
4.
Medofo
Ata Kak 02:49


Side B Titles
Artist
Length
1.
Daa Nyinaa
Ata Kak 06:07
2.
Yemmpa Aba
Ata Kak 04:30
3.
Bome Nnwom
Ata Kak 05:26

Vinyl
Buy
$19.98
SHIPS FREE in U.S.
Also available in: CD
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