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  • Record/Vinyl + Digital Album

    A1: ONFA NKOSI HWEE
    A2: YAMONA

    B1: BUBU
    B2: ATESEM

    C1: OBI NFRENO
    C2: ODO ANKASA

    D1: OKOMFE BONE
    D2: NTOBUASE
    D3: OBINIM

    Includes unlimited streaming of Obiaa! via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    ships out within 3 days
    Purchasable with gift card

      £25 GBP or more 

     

  • Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album

    1. ONFA NKOSI HWEE
    2. YAMONA
    3. BUBU
    4. ATESEM
    5. OBINIM
    6. OBI NFRENO
    7. NTOBUASE
    8. ODO ANKASA
    9. OKOMFE BONE

    Includes unlimited streaming of Obiaa! via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    ships out within 3 days
    Purchasable with gift card

      £12 GBP or more 

     

  • Streaming + Download

    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    Purchasable with gift card

      £11 GBP  or more

     

1.
2.
Yamona 05:00
3.
Bubu 05:54
4.
Atesem 04:56
5.
Obinim 04:45
6.
Obi Nfreno 08:42
7.
Ntobuase 04:15
8.
Odo Ankasa 04:45
9.
Okomfe Bone 03:49

about

The modern-day leaders of Ghanaian highlife music are back!

Strut is proud to announce Pat Thomas & Kwashibu Area Band's sophomore release ‘Obiaa!’, released on 4th October 2019. The album, produced again by Kwame Yeboah and Ben Abarbanel-Wolff at Lovelite Studio’s analogue HQ in Berlin, is a deep and soulful journey into the heart of Ghana's indigenous highlife music celebrating the timeless and iconic voice of Pat Thomas, the 72 year-old “Golden Voice of Africa”.

After producing Ebo Taylor's seminal albums ‘Love and Death’ and ‘Appia Kwa Bridge’ for Strut Records, in 2014 Ben Abarbanel-Wolff approached Kwame Yeboah, Ghana's top contemporary instrumentalist and bandleader, to work on a new project: “We initially wanted to invite Pat back into the studio with Ebo Taylor and Tony Allen to recreate and expand on some of the vibes they had recorded together during a lost session in 1977,” Ben explains. Recorded in Accra, the result was the critically acclaimed self-titled debut album ‘Pat Thomas & Kwashibu Area Band’ in 2015.

Pat and the Kwashibu Area Band (named after Kwame's neighbourhood in Accra) hit the road in October 2015. After a memorable performance at WOMEX in Budapest, they never looked back. The next two years took them around the world to play at
major venues and festivals including Glastonbury, Roskilde, WOMAD, Sakifo, WOMADelaide, Sines and many more. “We could see there was something for everyone in our music. People of all ages, colours and trends were dancing together!’ explains Kwame, the mastermind behind the band's unbelievable precision and killer live show.

The new album is called ‘Obiaa!’ which means ‘Everybody!’. Tracks include the modern parables ‘Onfa Nkosi Hwee’ warning against arrogance and ‘Odo Ankasa’ about the value of real love and trust as well as a great new cover of Thomas’ Afro-disco favourite ‘Yamona’. “Playing highlife around the world taught us what we had to do to move our sound forward,” continues Ben. While simultaneously looking back towards the classic days of highlife and forward to a fresh revival of the guitar band sound, this album cements Pat Thomas & Kwashibu Area Band’s position at the pinnacle of modern African music.

‘Obiaa!’ is released on all formats on 4th October. The album features exclusive cover artwork by Lewis Heriz with photos by Marie Weikopf and Michelle Chiu and is mastered by Édouard Bonan at Ed-Room Studio in Paris.

credits

released October 4, 2019

2019, !K7 Music

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all rights reserved

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about

Pat Thomas Kumasi, Ghana

Known as “The Golden Voice Of Africa”, Pat Thomas is a true Ghanaian highlife legend. Working with big bands including Uhuru Dance Band, Thomas became a domestic star through his ‘70s work with Sweet Beans, Ebo Taylor and Marijata. He recorded his first international studio album for Strut in 2015, backed by Accra’s Kwashibu Area Band. ... more

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