That weird track

A while back I was struck by an incredibly strange track, filled with so much energy and weird sounds, I knew the person that made it had to be something else.

Analog Africa

In 2011, Brian Shimkovitz launched When Shimkovitz launched Awesome Tapes From Africa, a fantastic record label that tracks down the musicians and producers responsible for his favorite cassettes in view to give them a proper release. There was however one strange mid-90s cassette tape who’s creator had always eluded him:  Ata Kak.

Ata Kak - Obaa Sima

Eventually, he met the Ghanian clerk of a store who knew someone who knew someone, who knew someone who knew Ata Kak. After a long search he finally got the number of one his children. By the time Shimkovitz finally spoke to Ata Kak, he had completely forgotten about the music he had made. Inspired by this story and the effort it had taken to find him Ata Kak suddenly resurrected and eventually signed a contract to re-release his tape.

“It feels like a portal to an alternate reality, where the sounds of South Africa's Shangaan electro, Mali's Balani Shor, Syria's Dabke, British Grime and Portuguese Kuduru all sweat together"

— Mikey Jones

Nathan Corbin and Tony Lowe directed this fantastic documentary entitled “Ata Kak – Time Bomb” capturing the search for Ata Kak as well as the visit to Ghana that once Brian Shimkovitz found him.