Digest | Stories, Sounds & Culture

The Funkees started as a Nigerian cover band during the Biafran War and evolved into a joyful mix of highlife, funk, and Afrobeat that still moves dance floors.

Sun Ra did not start in outer space. In the mid 1950s he worked inside swing and hard bop, building discipline, melody, and control before he moved outward.

Música da Lagoa highlights Hermeto Pascoal’s use of natural sound, simple tools, and open improvisation. The recording shows how he shapes a full atmosphere with minimal elements.

Pigeon blend afrobeat, post punk, and disco into a sound that feels loose, tense, and alive. Built on groove and unease, their music moves between dance floor momentum and inward looking moods, driven by multilingual vocals and restless rhythm.

Christmas music can feel rough once family life settles in. This playlist keeps the season fun without the usual festive cheese.

Alhaji K. Frimpong helped shape Ghana’s highlife in the 1970s. Labels like Soundway and Hot Casa are bringing his work back, and I want to keep it circulating on Rotate.