Official Release Date: October 25, 2011
Opika Pende: Africa at 78 RPM is a box set featuring 100 tracks taken from rare 78rpm recordings of African music (1909 to mid-1960s), none of which have ever been issued on CD until now. Pan-African in scope and wildly diverse, Opika Pende is a testament to the deep riches found in early recorded music across the continent. The phrase, "Opika Pende," is a saying in the Lingala language that means "be strong" or "stand firm." It can also mean "resist." The packaging is a 112-page softcover book with 4 CDs in a separate portfolio – all housed in a deluxe cloth slipcase.
The set was compiled by Jonathan Ward, a Los Angeles-based collector, researcher, and writer. In 2007, he began the well-known website Excavated Shellac, which features a wide-range of scarce, international 78rpm records from across the globe with extensive commentary. In 2010, Jonathan released his first LP in a series for Dust-to-Digital’s vinyl imprint Parlortone. Titled Excavated Shellac: Strings, the record contains 14 exemplary performances on string instruments from across the globe, all from his collection of 78s.
Opika Pende: Africa at 78 RPM is available for order via our Credit Card and Paypal online stores. A bonus Fonotone bottle opener ships with all orders while supplies last.
What People Are Saying About This Title
Boston Globe:
African music in its many splendors comes alive on this vibrant collection of recordings culled from old 78s and heard on CD for the first time. From secular to sacred, from the 1900s to the ’60s, the sheer breadth of material on four discs is astonishing.
New York Times:
A compilation not of a global mini-genre, but of a phenomenon — the 78 r.p.m. record market in the early and middle parts of the 20th century, which took on different shapes all across Africa, and which covered a host of styles, from traditional to religious to pop... It’s clear that there’s communication going on across borders, nations talking to one another through song. As it should be. - Jon Caramanica
African music in its many splendors comes alive on this vibrant collection of recordings culled from old 78s and heard on CD for the first time. From secular to sacred, from the 1900s to the ’60s, the sheer breadth of material on four discs is astonishing.
New York Times:
A compilation not of a global mini-genre, but of a phenomenon — the 78 r.p.m. record market in the early and middle parts of the 20th century, which took on different shapes all across Africa, and which covered a host of styles, from traditional to religious to pop... It’s clear that there’s communication going on across borders, nations talking to one another through song. As it should be. - Jon Caramanica
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