West African Music
Everything published on Music Adviser UK under West African Music — reviews, buying advice and how-tos written for players and producers in the UK.
The History of Highlife
From Ghana's coastal palm-wine circles to E. T. Mensah's golden-age dance bands: the full story of how highlife came to be.
The Best Highlife Artists to Know
A guided tour of the highlife artists worth knowing, from the genre's first international star to the band that took it global.
Djembe Explained: Features, Types and Tips
The djembe is a West African goblet drum prized for its warm tone and three distinct sounds: bass, tone and slap. Learn its construction, playing techniques, cultural roots and how to select one.
Essential Highlife Albums Explained
Highlife's golden age ran on singles, not albums. Here's how to build an essential highlife albums collection that's actually honest about that.
A Beginner's Guide to Afrobeats
Afrobeats and Afrobeat aren't the same thing. Here's the fast, no-nonsense guide to what the genre actually is, how it sounds, and where to go next.
A Beginner's Guide to Highlife
Never heard of highlife before? Here's the friendly, no-pressure introduction to West Africa's great guitar-and-horns tradition.
West African Music is filed under
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Afrobeats
Afrobeats blends rhythmic percussion, melodic vocals and polished production for club-ready, radio-friendly tracks.
Djembe
Djembes offer a lively hand-played sound with strong bass and sharp tones, suited to lessons, sessions and performance.
Highlife
Highlife blends West African rhythm, melody and live instrumentation, making it ideal for groove-led bands and fusion pr...
