Hedzoleh Soundz
This album was recorded in 1972, a year before the band, Hedzoleh Soundz, would rerecord several of the same songs for a classic Hugh Masekela album. Here are those songs, minus the trumpet and dub effects, but given a more primordial force by way of thick basslines, relentless percussion and heartfelt melodies.
If the typical Afrobeat sound is driven by drumkit patterns, blaring horns and hypnotic chants, Hedzoleh veers towards the eclectic, with pulsing 3/4 rhythms, hand drums, flutes, jewharps, and a rhythm section that is as much Sly and Robbie as Tony Allen. Where the typical Fela track consists of 8 minutes or so of groove-buildup followed by 10 minutes of singing and chanting over the same groove, Hedzoleh prefers song structures that evolve much more quickly and radically, rarely finishing where they began, but getting there in quite a natural way. And their use of singing harmony is masterful, building tension to that melancholic razor’s edge where joy and sadness rub together.
Soundway Records has rereleased the original album on CD and vinyl, and it is fantastic from front to back. The Hugh Masekela followup has yet to be reissued but is also a stone-cold classic. Hedzoleh is also still together and has sample tracks from their upcoming album on their website.
RIYL: Cymande, Segun Bucknor, The Congos
Read:
www.hedzolehsoundz.com
