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By Kayceman
Halfway through 2006 it seems that we've been blessed with an unusually large quantity of remarkable records. While the quality is clear, the reasons are not. It's difficult to tell if we are simply being exposed to more music with a wider range or if somehow music itself is actually getting better (whatever that means). And while the argument could be made for either side of the coin, perhaps it's a mixture of both that rings true.
With the advent of the digital revolution and advancements in home-recording, we are most certainly hearing more music than ever. Couple this with the fact that all this technology is also making the world a smaller place, and it's clear that we are also hearing more types of music than ever. Somewhere in this union lies Extra Golden - an international collaboration between members of Washington D.C. rock band Golden (Ian Eagleson and Alex Minoff) and Kenya's Orchestra Extra Solar Africa (renowned guitarist Otieno Jagwasi and in-demand session drummer Onyango Wuod Omari). The band formed around Eagleson's doctoral research of Kenyan music, specifically benga - a guitar-driven, pop-laden music indicative of the area. The result, Ok-Oyot System is nothing short of amazing.
Recorded in a make-shift studio in one day at a nightclub in Nairobi, the depth of this album is startling. The title is taken from the Luo (a community based around the shores of Lake Victoria in Kenya's Nyanza Province) phrase "ok oyot," which translates to "It's not easy." Often used by benga bands to describe their trade (the intertwining guitar rhythms, high-pitched vocal harmonies, and propulsive beats are in no way easy to play), the term also describes life in much of Africa. To further drive this point home, Otieno Jagwasi, primary guitarist and vocalist for Extra Golden, passed away in May of 2005 due to liver failure and complications from AIDS.
Ok-Oyot System was created by this "not easy" existence, but somehow the songs are full of life, energy, and an infectious need to dance. Just like the majority of Africa's music history, from slaves singing in cotton fields to the music of Fela Kuti, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, and Hugh Masekela fighting to rid the country of Apartheid, African music is able to address pain and struggle yet refuses to give in and is almost always infused with an up-tempo beat.
Underneath Extra Golden's slinky guitar lines and air-tight rhythm section are songs ranging from death and war to praise for Otien's ex-wife. Sung in both English and Luo, the lyrics are often secondary to the rich guitar tones and the sultry blend of this unique rock-benga crossover. Each of the six songs on the record (all over six-minutes with two clocking in at over 11) are excellent and full of enough intricate sections to keep hungry ears rapped for months, if not years. Extra Golden serves as a reminder of what we'd like international musical collaborations to be - genuine in formation, based on a shared love and understanding of different musical heritages, and mind-blowing in execution. Ok-Oyot System should unquestionably find its way onto many critics' Best of 2006 Lists; it's already a lock on mine.
JamBase | San Francisco
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