Filed under: Somalia
I first became aware of Faadumo Qaasim – listed on this record as Fadumo Kassim – when I stumbled on an article about the label Light & Sound of Mogadishu on the Voice of Africa website well over a decade ago. And since that time, I have been searching for anything that was released on that label.
Faadumo Qaasim commonly referred to as “Faynuustii Fanka” – or “the candlelight of the art”. Her father Qasiim Hilowle, better known by his Italian nickname Qasiim Schiffo, was a poet who also played a major role in the struggle for his country’s independence. As early as 1958, while Faadumo was still a child, she was already gaining national attention in Somalia.
As I mentioned in the previous Somali post, there have been a few recent releases to feature the music of Somalia. Faadumo appears on both Analog Africa’s Mogadisco – Dancing Mogadishu (Somalia 1972-1991) and Ostinato Records’ Sweet As Broken Dates: Lost Somali Tapes from the Horn of Africa. Oddly, she was left off Afro7‘s Light & Sound of Mogadishu.
Catalog number L&S 1 on Light & Sound of Mogadishu, Somalia. No release date listed.
Filed under: Paraguay
The Rabbits were from Asunción, Paraguay. The majority of the members were of children of German immigrants and the band formed while attending Colegio Goethe. They released this lone single before breaking up. Brothers Dirk and Jörn Wenger formed a new band IODI who were widely popular throughout South America during their run from 1969 to 1976.
Catalog number 281 on Industrias Fonoelectrónicas Guarania of Asunción, Paraguay. Released 1969.
Filed under: South Korea
Kim Hee Gap / 김희갑 was born in Pyongyang / 평양시 on March 9, 1936 during the Japanese colonial period and Korea was still one country. At the age of 15, with the onset of the Korean War, his family moved to Daegu / 대구 in what would become South Korea.
After graduating from high school in 1955, he started his music career as a guitar player in the stage band of the Eighth US Army. In 1964, he became a record producer as well as a lyricist and composer. The first artist he worked with was the Key Boys. He would go on to work with many other artists well into the 1980s. He also produced over a dozen albums of his own music.
Catalog number K-Apple-45 on Universal of South Korea. Released 1970.
Filed under: Afghanistan
♬ Kupc Gul Jorah Wahe / کپک ګل جوره وه
Other than the fact that he was born in Kandahar, I have not been able to find any information on Wali Mohammad Qandahari.
On a side note: Transferring cassettes can occasionally be more challenging than trying to salvage old vinyl. Believe it or not, this cassette was sealed when I got it. But due to how it had been stored, there was a lot of grime in there…
If you have any further information about this artist or anything else about this recording, please leave it in the comment section below.
Catalog number M-631 on MMC of Peshawar, Pakistan. No release date listed.
Filed under: Côte d'Ivoire
I thought I had read somewhere that Le Prince Dossou Gilbert – also known as Prince Dgib’s – was from Dahomey – which now known as Benin. But after a bit of research, he was apparently from Côte d’Ivoire. He released four singles on Discophone and one on Badmos – both labels which were based in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.
If you have any further information about this artist or anything else about this recording, please leave it in the comment section below.
Catalog number DISCO 1003 on Discophone of Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire. No release date listed.
Filed under: Indonesia
Who would have guessed that Black Sabbath had been so popular in Southeast Asia? First, you have Sroeng Santi’s “Kuen Kuen Lueng Lueng” – which borrows heavily from “Iron Man” – and then this take on “Paranoid“.
After releasing their first single as Orkes Rima Melati Indonesia, the band changed their name to The Commandos in 1968. They released two other singles and three albums backing various singers. They apparently broke up in 1973.
If you have any further information about this artist or anything else about this recording, please leave it in the comment section below.
Catalog number MCEP 8023 Roebuck Record of Malaysia. Released 1970.
Filed under: Nicaragua
Los Fermons – also seems Los Fermon’s and Los Fermons de León – were presumably from the city of León in Nicaragua. The band formed in 1965 with Juan Ruiz and Manuel Flores on guitar, Jorge Orozco on bass and Nedar Sirias on drums. They recorded at least four singles.
If you have any further information about this artist or anything else about this recording, please leave it in the comment section below.
Catalog number 95 on Discosa of Nicaragua. No release date listed.
Filed under: Morocco
Said Ziani / سعيد الزياني – also know as Said Dahman – was born in capitol city of Rabat, Morocco on December 1st, 1952. He was a singer, artist, author, composer, actor, producer, director and presenter of programs on Société Nationale de Radiodiffusion et de Télévision . In 1984, he announced his retirement and devoted the rest of his life seeking Islamic knowledge and advocacy.
Catalog number 2.225.035 on Polydor. Released 1974.
Filed under: Nigeria
Just when I was starting to think that all of the good music from Nigeria had already been compiled by Soundway, I stumbled on this single.
The Future Hopes were also known as Future Hope International Dance Band of Nigeria. Their front man was Sonny Okpala, who went by a number of aliases / variations: Sonny Ikoro, Sonny Okpalla, Sony Ikoro Okpara, Sony Okpala, Sunny, Sunny Elvis Okpala, Sunny Ikoro, Sunny Okpala, Sunny Okpalla. But beyond that, I have not been able to find anything else.
If you have any further information about this artist or anything else about this recording, please leave it in the comment section below.
Catalog number SD 8 on Scottie Silver Disc Recordings of Nigeria. No release date listed.
Filed under: Burma
♬ Dearest and Best Friend / အချစ်ဆုံးနဲ့ အချစ်ဆုံးသူငယ်ချင်း
Lashio Thein Aung / လားရှိုးသိန်းအောင် – who was also known as “Jimmy Jack” and the “Burmese Texan” – was born in the Lashio District of the Shan State in Burma / Myanmar in 1946.
Lashio Thein Aung was one of the first big recording artists in Burma. His songs were not only successful , but still resonate with fans to this day. Being a Buddhist, he was unable to accept the Burma Socialist Programme Party, Lashio Thein Aung went into hiding in 1972, eventually ending up in Houston, Texas. He did not return to his home country again until 2012.
Like many people, my first introduction to Lashio Thein Aung was on Sublime Frequencies’ Guitars of the Golden Triangle: Folk and Pop Music of Myanmar (Burma) Vol. 2.
Like many people, my first introduction to Lashio Thein Aung was on Sublime Frequencies’ Guitars of the Golden Triangle: Folk and Pop Music of Myanmar (Burma) Vol. 2.
As per usual with these Burmese tapes: No catalog number, record company or release date listed.
Radiodiffusion Internasionaal Annexe 