ROOTS TO RHYTHM

Roots to Rhythm is a living digital and physical archive tracing traditional African music and its evolution into contemporary dance music forms.
By Dare Balogun and Grace Shelley.





Goddy Ezike & The Black Brothers 
Ewu Tiwa Ite

Rogers All Stars
Nigeria
1989
If you’re tracing the lineage of Igbo Highlife, Goddy Ezike is right up there with the greats, Oliver De Coque, Stephen Osita Osadebe, but he’s always had this quietly scholarly aura, which earned him the title “Prof.” 

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Youlou Mabiala
Moto Atikali Sima Mwasi Na Ligorodo

Musiclub
France
1983
After departing TPOK Jazz in May 1977, Youlou Mabiala co-founded Les Trois Frères in Brazzaville, where he released early hits like “Saley.” In 1980, he went on to establish Kamikaze Loningisa, assembled with musicians Sergey Lemvo, Pindou, Miguel, Bola Bolith, Nona Simon, and others—cementing his leadership in Congo’s musical landscape

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Charlotte Mbango
Konkai Makossa

Touré Jim’s Records
France
1988
Makossa began as a modernized form of Ambasse Bey, a traditional Douala rhythm. Artists like Eboa Lotin and Manu Dibango were early pioneers, but it wasn’t until the late 70s that Makossa became a full-fledged dance music genre with wide appeal. 

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Francis Bebey
Trésor Magnétique

Africa Seven
United Kingdom
2025Released in May 2025 by Africa Seven, Trésor Magnétique compiles 20 previously unreleased or rare archival tracks from Francis Bebey’s home tapes, remastered at Abbey Road Studios.

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1975

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1987

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1986


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1998

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1972

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Doctor Sir Warrior And His Original Oriental Brothers International Band 
Agwo Loro Ibe Ya

Afrodisia
Nigeria
1983
Formed in the aftermath of Nigeria's civil war, the Oriental Brothers International Band quickly rose to prominence in the early 1970s, delivering music that offered comfort, unity, and joy at a time when Eastern Nigeria desperately needed it.

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Burning Spear
Farover

Radic
Jamaica
1982
Burning Spear, born Winston Rodney in 1945 in Saint Ann’s Bay, Jamaica, is one of the foundational figures of roots reggae, often spoken of in the same breath as Bob Marley and Peter Tosh, but with a more explicitly spiritual and Afrocentric focus.

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Pablo Lubadika
Tyka ‘ngai

Voix D’Afrique
Germany
1987
This four-track LP was released in early 1987 by the German label Voix D’Afrique (catalogue VA 002), one of several European imprints dedicated to Congolese dance music.Its polished yet danceable style, steady, upbeat, and free of deeper rumba breaks is characteristic of 1980s “tropical” soukous aimed at European world-music imports.

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Ronnie Graham
Stern’s Guide to Contemporary African Music, Vol. 2

Pluto Press
UK
1992
Stern’s Guide to Contemporary African Music, Volume 2, formally titled The World of African Music, was edited by Ronnie Graham and published in 1992 by Pluto Press in collaboration with Research Associates.

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1993

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1978

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1985

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1972

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All artifacts owned by Roots to Rhythm unless noted otherwise.

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