A recording made for the Union Trade Company (UTC), a Swiss trading company, in the Gold Coast of Africa. The PLJ series comprises recordings made for this company by EMI and released on the Odeon label. Recordings were made in the mid 1930s and mid 1950s. I believe this disc was from the mid to late 1950s. UTC was a well-known brand in Ghana and continued to operate there until its closure in 1999.
This group, The Star Rockets, appears to be from Ghana based upon the language recorded in (Twi and Ga). Gentle upbeat rhythms are punctuated by melodic horn riffs and a female vocalist.
The calm atmosphere created by this music stands in contrast to the title, “Otanfo Abonsam” seems to translate roughly as “My enemy is a demon”. Not a literal demon, but simply someone possessed by malevolence: a malicious rival or a former friend who has done you harm.
Believed to have been recorded in Ghana in the mid-to-late 1950s.
Released as Odeon PLJ 75.
Leave a Reply