David Dalle
Thursday September 1st, 2022 with David Dalle
Latest from Analog Africa with a look at one of South Africa's most popular bands from the '70's: The Movers. Dreaming of Fez, Morocco with deeply nostalgic music of Andalusian master Abdelkrim Rais.

Today we will start in South Africa with one the most popular South African bands from the 1970's, The Movers, in a new anthology by Analog Africa. The band was formed in 1967 by two brothers, Norman and Oupa Hlongwane, and drummer Sam Thabo, with the crucial support of Kenneth Siphay, who became their manager. Siphay added keyboardist Sankie Chounyane to the trio, gave them their name, bought them quality instruments, and organized rehearsal space. They recorded their first album in 1969, which went on to sell 500,000 copies in South Africa in a few months. They continued as a quartet, sometimes performing and recording with guest singers, for a number of years. By 1975, saxophonist Lulu Masilele had joined them. They were recording in the studio in June 1976 when the Soweto Uprising began, a seminal event in the resistance to Apartheid. They had just recorded a new song with singer Sophie Thapedi, which they named "Soweto Inn", and which went on to be one of their biggest hits. After 1976, The Movers started to splinter and by 1980 none of the original four musicians were left. We will hear a selection of their music from the first half of the 1970's with this laidback instrumental quartet, perfect for a languid summer afternoon, continuing with some of their hits with vocalists Sophie Thapedi, Blondie Makhene and saxophonist Lulu Masilele. Feeling intense nostalgia for Fez, Morocco recently, so in the second half of today's program we will hear the equally languid Andalusian music of 20th century Fassi master Abdelkrim Rais.