Super Diamono de Dakar - People

Pure 1987 sounding album of digi afro-pop by long-running Senegalese act Super Diamono, with its Zawinul-like synth bass. Lushly produced, it contains a few standout tracks, starting with its opening track, the warm "Soweto". 

Released on what looks like a Celluloid sub-label, People is a successful iteration of that unique Franco-Senegalese blend of Fusion Jazz and Afro-Pop / Mbalax, that happened quite often in Parisian studios in the 1980's. Formed in the early 1970's by Omar Pene in Dakar, the trajectory of the Super Diamono is somewhat typical of these long-lasting Senegalese bands: ignited as an Afro-cuban formation, the sound of the band eventually morphed as decades brought in new recording techniques and musical genres.

People sounds exactly like a 1987 record should sound like. It offers spacious arrangements, a very bright digital sound, and baroque fusion compositions, incorporating jazz and reggae elements, in a then-booming world music fashion . It's especially true of the most uptempo tunes "Borom darou" and "Soweto", the later being an old favorite of mine. Special mention to the artwork, a true 1987 time capsule too. 

Tracklist

1. Soweto
2. Mansani Cisse
3. Borom darou
4. Lou Bax
5. Soubaba
6. Artist
7. Mansani Cisse
8. Mam