Bab L’ Bluz announce new album
Come, enter the world of Swaken, the much anticipated second album by Bab L' Bluz.
Wed, 14 February 24
Released 31 May 1998
Liner notes
‘Molokai’ is Papa Wemba’s third album with Real World, and also the name of his international band. This live studio performance from one of Africa’s greatest stars is a collection of classic hits and newer songs from the late 90’s, produced by John Leckie, reflecting that stage of Wemba’s musical odyssey.
Molokai reaches far back into Wemba’s childhood. Deeply influenced by his adopted mother’s vocation as a pleureuse (professional mourner), Wemba here strips down to vocal basics, making his a cappella debut on ‘Excuse Me’.
‘Molokai’ resonates with meanings for Papa Wemba. The word has a specific history rooted in his childhood years in Léopoldville, as Kinshasa used to be called. “Between the years of 1955 and 1960, the missionaries came and showed films in the open air,” recounts Papa. “One day they showed us a film called ‘Sur L’isle de Molokai’. The principal actor was a missionary called Father Damien who had as a mission to go to the Island of Molokai to heal lepers. After the projection of this film, the elders named our area ‘Quartier Molokai’. It sounded pretty good, I think.”
And the word became part of Wemba’s personal musical mythology when in 1993, while performing as part of Peter Gabriel’s ‘Secret World Live’ tour, he named his international band ‘Molokai’.
Released 13 March 1995
Released 20 October 2002
Come, enter the world of Swaken, the much anticipated second album by Bab L' Bluz.
Wed, 14 February 24
Fri, 02 February 24
Sheila's trilogy of albums for Real World is being re-issued on CD, and on vinyl for the first time.
Fri, 28 April 23
New folk duo Owen Spafford & Louis Campbell visited the studio to record a new EP for Real World X.
Tue, 05 March 24