The 1970s witnessed an increased Western airtime and physical presence in Ghana introducing funk, soul and disco sounds to the region. By the turn of the decade the country was also enduring economic turmoil, with rising poverty, military dictatorships and long periods of enforced curfews (amongst other factors) making it impossible for artists to survive. As a result, many Ghanaian artists with a broader outlook began to pursue their careers in the West, moving to both Europe and America in search of stardom. It was here that Ghanaian musicians developed a digitised version of highlife music which fully embraced Western contemporary music styles and newly introduced technology such as the DX7 synthesizer and various drum machines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kalita now unveils a compilation focussing on this phenomenon of \u2018Burger Highlife\u2019, a crossover of West African melodies with synthesizers, disco and boogie that took over Ghanaian airwaves during the 1980\u2019s and beyond. The double LP highlights key recordings from genre-defining artists including Thomas Frempong and George Darko, as well as more obscure sought-after tracks by elusive bands such as Aban and Uncle Joe\u2019s Afri-Beat, Kalita. The project also comes accompanied by a 16-page booklet featuring extensive interview-based liner notes on each artist and never-before-seen archival photos.<\/p>\n\n\n\n