Gibraltar Drakus literally exploded from his first album Hommage A Zanzibar (1989), which sold over 100,000 copies despite rampant piracy. For the recording, Drakus made sure he engaged prolific producer Mystic Jim to record and mix the album. Drakus’ other band during that period was Les Martiens but due to leadership disagreements they didn’t play on the album. He was advised and encouraged by Mystic Jim to change band personnel for the recording and work with Simba Daniel Evoussa on solo guitar, Pierrot Ahenot on rhythm guitar and Jean-Paul Litché on bass.
The innovation musically rests both within the guitar interplay and the discipline in the orchestration, which result in a mind-bending clockwork of cross-rhythmic harmony. Sublime on several levels the music is remarkably relaxed in its gymnastic execution. He aimed for the sound to exist somewhere between the sensibilities of the famous Les Veterans, Zanzibar and Messi Martin. He had worked a lot of Zanzibar and Messi Martin, both of whom allowed him to fully immerse himself in bikutsi and Beti music. “Zanzibar is the one who taught me how to compose a song, and I learned a lot from Zanzibar musically. We spent whole nights working on methods and other approaches to compose beautiful songs. I owe half of everything I have today to Zanzibar!”
He was quite young at the time of the recording, much younger than most bikutsi artists of the era. He brought a different type of energy, he says, and that was something he relished showing his bandmates in Les Têtes Brûlées and Les Martiens. The former sidelined him from their famous debut European tour (immortalized in the Claire Denis film Man No Run), as he was too young and should finish school, they told him. Despite providing him a place to increase his visibility as a solo artist while he was frustrated with his groups, his association with Inter Diffusion Systems ended in disappointment. The label never paid him royalties from Hommage A Zanzibar and a later album Zobiakkk.
Gibraltar Drakus literally exploded from his first album Hommage A Zanzibar (1989), which sold over 100,000 copies despite rampant piracy. For the recording, Drakus made sure he engaged prolific producer Mystic Jim to record and mix the album. Drakus’ other band during that period was Les Martiens but due to leadership disagreements they didn’t play on the album. He was advised and encouraged by Mystic Jim to change band personnel for the recording and work with Simba Daniel Evoussa on solo guitar, Pierrot Ahenot on rhythm guitar and Jean-Paul Litché on bass.
The innovation musically rests both within the guitar interplay and the discipline in the orchestration, which result in a mind-bending clockwork of cross-rhythmic harmony. Sublime on several levels the music is remarkably relaxed in its gymnastic execution. He aimed for the sound to exist somewhere between the sensibilities of the famous Les Veterans, Zanzibar and Messi Martin. He had worked a lot of Zanzibar and Messi Martin, both of whom allowed him to fully immerse himself in bikutsi and Beti music. “Zanzibar is the one who taught me how to compose a song, and I learned a lot from Zanzibar musically. We spent whole nights working on methods and other approaches to compose beautiful songs. I owe half of everything I have today to Zanzibar!”
He was quite young at the time of the recording, much younger than most bikutsi artists of the era. He brought a different type of energy, he says, and that was something he relished showing his bandmates in Les Têtes Brûlées and Les Martiens. The former sidelined him from their famous debut European tour (immortalized in the Claire Denis film Man No Run), as he was too young and should finish school, they told him. Despite providing him a place to increase his visibility as a solo artist while he was frustrated with his groups, his association with Inter Diffusion Systems ended in disappointment. The label never paid him royalties from Hommage A Zanzibar and a later album Zobiakkk.
Tracklisting:
A1. N'nom Wom
A2. Exode Rural
B1. O Zanzibar
B2. Mekeya A Dzal "Retour Au Village"
Label: Awesome Tapes From Africa
Cat. #: ATFA048LP
Format : LP
