hopped on @thelotradio while i was stateside - always a pleasure to play and share such amazing music with just over 60 minutes of Highlife! please listen to the full set - link in bio :)))
a few past dates that i'm proud of and some forthcoming that I'm incredibly excited about, including a (solo) return to @maisonmondesafricains next Tuesday, and my first time in Brazil for @hotbeatsacademy with the wonderful people at @amsterdamdanceevent
all thanks to Most High! super grateful to you, the listener for your support and attention, the music is the message. For too long, traditional African music, has been shared through the lens of "digger culture", where music is deemed important because of who found it, and not because of the meaning of the music to the millions of people to whom this music holds deep cultural and spiritual value. its an honour to be able to talk about and share this music, and its impact and meaning! so much more to come!
BANDE SONORE I Makossa
Dans quelle langue danses-tu ?
19 mai 2026 - 19h30
Le makossa est la bande-son de Douala, ville portuaire camerounaise et carrefour d’échanges, où les langues se croisent autant que les rythmes. Né dans un pays qui compte plus de 250 langues, deux langues coloniales et un pidgin, ce genre musical ne s’est jamais limité à une seule voix.
Des premiers enregistrements aux productions des « années parisiennes », jusqu’à l’intégration du pidgin camerounais dans les années 1980, le makossa porte en lui une pluralité de langues et de récits, dessinant en creux différentes manières d’être et de se dire camerounais.
Avec le collectif Roots to Rhythm, fondé par Grace Shelley et Dare Balogun, qui explore les liens entre musiques traditionnelles africaines et créations électroniques contemporaines.
📍 MansA-Maison des Mondes Africains
🎟️ Entrée libre sur réservation - lien bio
#mansa #maisondesmondesafricains #bandesonore #makossa
All thanks to the most High!
Three years ago I met @fdfromthefuture on a press trip to New York, courtesy of Jameson's ;) - I was working with Josh already (shout out unc) and New York was new to both of us, and for FD as well. We quickly bonded over shared dreams, and I was so inspired, not only by what we were doing, but by FD's confidence, his self-belief. Till now I've never met anyone quite like him!
Crazy to think the things he was telling me over pasta 3 years ago are coming to life, living proof of ambition, that things can happen if you try try try, if you're 100% yourself with no compromise, if you have love in your heart, if you're willing to keep going! Serious occasion tomorrow and I'm pleased to be part of it - will be playing some very celebratory Highlife and Makossa alongside a lineup of very talented DJs!
Shout out to @champion for supporting the dreams, we keep pushing!!
@DareBalogun brings us through the world of Nigerian Highlife for the latest edition of The Listening Room Session.
Tracing highlife’s journey from Ghana into Nigeria, Dare moves through the genre’s many strands — from Igbo high life in the aftermath of the Nigerian Civil War to the Yoruba traditions of juju and its spiritual, almost transcendent qualities.
Featuring selections from Chief Stephen Osita Osadebe, King Sunny Adé, Orlando Owoh, Salawa Abeni and more, the session is an introduction to a body of music designed for communal listening.
Full session on @TheVinylFactory YouTube now. Link in bio.
#listeningroom #180studios #highlife #darebalogun #nigerianhighlife
Ayata Yomkil - Che Mon Cheri (Yomkil L'F Records, 1988, Cameroon)
WBack on @nts_radio this Saturday with a show dedicated to Makossa - one of the most danceable genres to come out of Africa.
Born in Douala in the 1950s, Makossa grew out of the port city's constant trade of sounds: Duala street music, Congolese rumba drifting in on the radio, Ghanaian highlife, Baptist church choirs, Cuban records carried off the ships. It was the sound of Saturday nights in Douala, of weddings and christenings, of cabaret bars that went until morning.
For a generation of Cameroonians it was how the country sounded to itself, the music you danced to, fell in love to, buried people to. It gave Cameroon its first pan-African stars, filled the airwaves of Africa No.1 and Radio Douala, and shaped the sound of urban music across the continent for the next thirty years.
Looking forward to sharing this music with you, the listener, live from 12:00 GMT - Saturday 25th April, only on @nts_radio
two special gigs in london tonight!
@rootstorhythm all night in that club that im not allowed to talk about with the super @graceshelleyy and extremely special guest @volta45_ - amazing African music all night long, i'm on 9-11, call 020 8191 3544 for more info!
then big birthday celebrations for @nts_radio at @avaloncafebermondsey - such an honour to be part of such a special time line up across the night is so amazing - i'm on from midnight
All thanks to the most High!!!
first time i've seen my name on a billboard and i really can't believe it!
so incredibly honoured to be part of the 15 years of @nts_radio celebrations, a radio station im so proud to be a resident of, a station i've admired for so long, alongside artists that i've spent close to a decade admiring ! just really can't believe it! chase your dreams, its all possible if you try! thank you to all my friends and family for the encouragement, to you the listener for you time and attention and the most thanks to most High!
i'll be playing at @avaloncafebermondsey this Saturday with @noanunoparty , @shyclart@deathisnot and @saxonsoundsystem ! so much joy to be shared, as much Highlife, Soukous and Makossa I can try fit into an hour - time to dance dance dance!!! tickets available via the nts website or your local reputable dealer !!!
tonight @180.studios ! a real privilege and honour to be playing music, NIGERIAN MUSIC in that hallowed room, following a long list of artists i've held a lot of respect for!
2 sold out back to back sessions fi of music from the place I call home - such a blessing all thanks to the Most High, and a big thank you to @alexflowers___ and @judahlos_ for the privilege!
in the words of Andrew Dice Clay, "today, they pay!"
Lagbaja performs Skentele Skontolo in Ife, Osun State, Nigeria (2008)
For my next @nts_radio show we'll continue where the residency started, a deep dive into Nigerian Highlife, ahead of my session at @180.studios next week!
What makes Nigerian Highlife so beautiful to me is the variety and diversity, and how it evolved over time, always speaking to the domestic audience above everything else.
We'll not only explore classic traditional Nigerian Highlife, but also how it influenced more contemporary sounds in Nigeria from Lagbaja and Beautiful Nubia to The Cavemen and beyond.
Hope you, the listener, can join me this Saturday, 12–2PM GMT - live only on NTS!
surprise! im hosting the @nts_radio breakfast show this morning after quite the dramatic start to the day! tune in if you can, lots of lovely music to be enjoyed :))))
