The Message

There’s no doubt that Ghanain musician, composer, and vocalist Gyedu-Blay Ambolley was an innovator and experimenter, mastering several instruments and challenging the canons of highlife by singing about political and issues in Fante and English. He was already well known in Ghana and playing with the likes of Ebo Taylor when he became a superstar across West Africa with his hit  “Simigwa-do,” but rather than rest on his laurels he continued to experiment with different sounds, bringing electronic instruments like synthesizers into his potent highlife funk mix. Within a few seconds of the “The Message,” the stabby synths tell you this is no standard highlife record, and the futuristic sonic experiments continue across the three other tracks, making this a true electro-funk highlife gem.