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In an ironic twist of fate, for our 49th Round Trip we head to Zambia, a country Lizz Kalo actually lived in for a while in her younger years, but she was unable to join us in the studio this week. Still, amazing country, amazing grooves, enjoy the flight!
"The Drop with Danno" on GFN 광주영어방송 98.7FM in Gwangju & 93.7FM in Yeosu, Korea. An eclectic radio curation of all things musical spanning the spectrum every week. Broadcasting 8-10pm KST nightly.
Oct 27, 2021
The Velvet Underground – What Goes On
Ngozi Family – Hi Babe
Blackfoot – Running
Teddy Chisi – Funky Lady
Chef 187 – Amsterdam
Kaladoshas – Nipaseko Chance
Amanaz – Khala My Friend
WITCH – Home Town
Cleo Ice Queen – Dreamers
John Wizards – Lusaka By Night
Sadistic Zombie feat El Jae – Ku Lusaka
The Sakala Brothers – Tawela Amalume
I.
It is 20 hours past midnight on another day that only proves me right in my adoration of Korea in the fall, but alas it’s time to travel this evening as our Round Trip must be had in these still COVID-tinged times. So we’ll be heading through the clouds to Lusaka, and tonight is properly aircraft maintained as October 27, 2021. This is Danno ready as always to travel passport free with you from studio 2 GFN HQ in downtown Gwangju, how do you do? Unfortunately Lizz Kalo is busy bees with her midterm prep this week, so I’ll be flying to Zambia solo but with her contributions and map notes in hand, of course. Rather ironic since our South African lovely lived in Zambia for several years as a child, but unfortunately you’re stuck with me tonight. Now, for those not familiar, Zambia is home to one of the most interesting vintage rock movements in Africa after achieving independence in the 1960’s, and the innovative music tradition has lived on to the present. Very interesting country Zambia, glad to share this with you tonight as we head to the home of the mighty Kenneth Kaunda, the liberator of the country who just passed aged 97 over the summer, may he rest in power supreme. Hard to find a politician more popular than the man they call KK, he’s in the stratosphere of say, George Washington or Simon Bolivar, he is THAT popular. But alas, we must note another passing on this date in 2013, and we’ll tell you what goes on after Lou & the organ groove it out. This is The Drop.
The Velvet Underground – What Goes On
The Drop is on the bus & on our way to the airport tonight for our Round Trip Wednesday, great as always to have you fly with us and by us I mean me, as Lizz Kalo can only contribute her bit of the 2nd hour playlist tonight with midterms looming over her like a henge. Lizz Kalo or No, Flight TD049 takes off for Zambia’s capital city of Lusaka this evening and we’ll start the warm-up momentarily for this fascinating very musical country after I’m done with my first set of yaddas right here.
But anyway, what’s up tonight, Drop Gangsters (Korean)? Danno here, as always whether here or there nowhere or in fact everywhere, and we just started with our TIGHT (or) feature to start the fun but on an admittedly sad note, as it was on this date in 2013 that Lou Reed passed into the great beyond, that was What Goes on from The Velvet Underground’s self-titled debut LP.
Lou of course would be a titan of music both as the leading man of The Velvet Underground and in his own right as a soloist once the group broke up in the early 1970’s. Lou Reed is the outsider’s icon, a man who had great empathy for the forgotten of the world in his music, and a guy who did suffer so himself.
One interesting fact you might not know is after he quit the Velvet Underground, he worked as a typist at his father’s accounting firm for a couple of years, earning $40 a week. More interesting is that he publicly identified as gay in 1970, but would go on to marry & divorce three women during his lifetime as well. He also suffered from bipolar disorder throughout his life, and during most of that time it was both undiagnosed and not treatable.
Lou Reed, a complicated man for a complicated world, the hero of the underworld the cruel earth doth spawn, rest in power supreme.
#9870, @gfnthedrop, podcast details, etc.
So let’s get to the warm-up for our Round Trip to Zambia this evening, and we’ll stay in the 60’s and 70’s to start with the so-called Zamrock Era in Zambia, and we’ll talk more about this generally after the psyche settles. This is The Drop on your Round Trip Wednesday to Lusaka!
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The Drop returns here on the air and we’re about to disembark at the terminal but still got a few miles to go. Danno here studio 2 GFN HQ doin like I do although flying solo for our Round Trip Wednesday this week as Lizz Kalo needs to go hard nerd for her midterms that happen today, so best of luck to our main girl on that. We just went back in time to the Zamrock era for those first three tunes, so let’s get you the details generally then specifically.
Now, Zambia was liberated in 1964 from British colonial rule, and lead by Kenneth Kaunda from then until the 1990’s. The country is mainly known as one of incredible natural beauty, but it should also be marked as a place of robust & functioning democracy & peaceful transfer of power. Immediately after independence & leading especially into the 1970’s, Zambia became the hotbed of indigenous African rock music, and this period is known as the Zamrock Era.
To the specifics, that was...
Ngozi Family – Hi Babe (…this was a band led by Paul Ngozi, who was a prominent musician in the 70’s & 80’s. Hi Babe appeared on the family band’s 1976 album Day of Judgement. Unfortunately like many in Southern Africa especially during the 80’s, Ngozi was struck down by AIDS complications, my he rest in power. And surely he does, as he’s consistently listed amongst the most popular Zambians of all time.)
Blackfoot – Running (…this is a band that honestly wasn’t too popular during it’s time and this tune was shelved until it saw the light of day on a Zamrock compilation put out in 2017.)
Teddy Chisi – Funky Lady (…this tune was originally put out in 1977 & re-released on the aforementioned compilation from 2017, titled Welcome To Zamrock! How Zambia's Liberation Led To a Rock Revolution, Vol. 1 (1972-1977). Chisi was responsible for a number of albums during this period.)
Now let’s head forward on the timeline & Zamrock a couple more contemporary tunes out of beautiful Zambia. Up next we have a guy who’s super popular locally nowadays in Chef 187 with a tune called Amsterdam, then we’ll close things here in the first quarter with Kaladoshas and a cut called Nipaseko Chance, which I think means by chance but I could be mistaken there. THIS is The Drop disembarking from the bus to check in on this week’s Round Trip to Zambia.
Chef 187 – Amsterdam
Kaladoshas – Nipaseko Chance
II.
The Drop has arrived for check-in and while it’s not too fun to wait in line, the people watching for flight TD049 to Lusaka, Zambia tonight is a very colorful affair. Danno here waiting for my turn, and for those just joining us Lizz Kalo cannot join us on the air in studio tonight due to her midterm exams, we’ll see her next week. For right now though, we just went back to the Zamrock Era with a pair of personal favorites of mine, that was...
Amanaz – Khala My Friend (….)
WITCH – Home Town (…two hugely popular rock bands of the Zambia Rock Era or Zamrock Period. Amanaz was kind of a bit of meteor that burned out, as they only put out one album which we’ll talk about in hour 2, but it is a brilliant bit of music. WITCH like Amanaz was an acronym meaning we intend to cause havoc, and are widely regarded as the most popular band of the time.)
Moving along SM, #9870, podcast let us know …
So we’ll continue to keep the vibe easy but fast forward on the timeline with tunes from Cleo Ice Queen, John Wizardo, and El Jae, all of which we’ll discuss further but before we take off for Lusaka. THIS is The Drop on your Round Trip Wednesday to Zambia.
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The Drop reverberates again on the mic and we are into the final airbreak of our first 57 tonight. Danno here, making sure everything is in its right place prior to boarding flight TD049 for Lusaka, Zambia momentarily, and I unfortunately will be flying solo for tonight’s trip as Lizz Kalo is in midterms mode today. That being said, let’s look at the crib sheet on those last three Lusakan joints...
Cleo Ice Queen – Dreamers (…interesting that we played Kaladoshas in part 1 tonight, as Cleo & he used to be married but she just ended it this year. Cleo is a huge personality in Zambia, being both a radio and TV presenter along with very popular hip-hop talent & producer.)
John Wizards – Lusaka By Night (…now, admittedly some might jump down my throats about this joint, as the artist is in fact South African, but I just dug the psyche vibe on this song about a night in the Zambian capital, so hate if you want.)
Sadistic Zombie feat El Jae – Ku Lusaka (…the band here is another group out of South Africa but here they collab with the Lusaka-based rapper and rising young star in El Jae, true name Elijah Ngoma, who’s based in Zambia’s capital city.)
Okay, so that’s final call to board and everybody’s already in line anyway, so I got a ton of time here, so let’s rock one more long player to wrap the hour & go more traditional with a folk song from The Sakala Brothers. This final tune in our first half is called Tawela Amalume or Tawela Uncles. I’m sure that’s not correct, but pretty sure amalume means uncle. Bad translation or not, THIS is The Drop now boarding flight TD049 on your Round Trip to Zambia and it is indeed halftime.
The Sakala Brothers – Tawela Amalume
III & IV Round Trip
Salty Dog – See The Storm
PK Chishala – Na Musonda
Sampa The Great – Energy
Sampa The Great – Freedom
Natasha Chansa – Show Me
Alfred C. Kalusha – Ni Maggie
Rozalla – Everybody’s Free
Yo Maps – No More
Lumaba – C’est La Vie
Amanaz – Sunday Morning
Misty Blue – Mang Gak
Ku One Chan – Don’t Be Sad