Music Archives - KOJO BAFFOE

For the love of music

Sep 16, 2022 | Random, Sound

This is the first draft of an essay published in Listen To Your Footsteps. I did make some edits for the final version. I have loved music for as long as I can remember. My father had a record (vinyl) collection that he regularly added to on his travels around the world. I now own that collection and there are few things that give me as much joy as listening to the soundtrack of my childhood. It was a rule that every Sunday morning, I wash the cars. As revenge, I would pull the speakers from the hifi as close to the door as I could and blast my selected artist or genre so I could hear it...

Music writing is not easy

Aug 2, 2022 | Commentary, Sound

I wrote this for a print magazine but it was rejected and I wrote something else for them so figured why not share it here. Writing a column is a funny old thing. In the days when print was the be-all and end-all, being asked to write a column was akin to being given the holy grail. Or at least a map of sorts, a la Da Vinci code. Print space was and continues to be at a premium. And, while I have been fortunate enough to scribble many a column over the years, being asked to write this one has had me at sixes and sevens. The ‘column-writing muscle’ hasn’t been exercised in a minute. After an...

Fulfilling Promises With Visa Checkout

Nov 28, 2017 | Lifestyle, Sound

In the song Trenchtown Rock, from the 1975 Live! album recorded at a 1975 concent in London by Bob Marley and the Wailers, Bob Marley opens with the following lyrics: One good thing about music, when it hits, you feel no pain, One good thing about music, when it hits, you feel no pain, So hit me with music, hit me with music now… Friedrich Nietszche once said, “Without music, life would be a mistake” while Louis Armstrong said, “Music is life itself. What would this world be without good music? No matter what kind it is.” Music. It has been part of my life for as long as I can remember. It...

Morena Leraba: From The Village To The World Stage

May 6, 2017 | Sound

Lesotho. The only country in the world landlocked by a single country, South Africa, and the country that raised me. Growing up, we were surrounded by music, but little of it came from within our borders, especially when it came to contemporary music. In fact, the only group that gained any kind of real prominence outside our borders was Sankomota, made up of musicians like Frank Leepa, Moss Nkofu, Black Jesus, Moruti Selate, Tšepo Tšola and Pitso Sera. In more recent years, there have been rappers like Hymphatic Thabs and Kommanda Obbs, musicians like Bhudaza and Tsepo Tsola as a solo...

Digital Crates: NPR Tiny Desk Concerts

Sep 12, 2016 | Sound

I love music. And I love great ideas around how to package and share music. The evolution of technology has both totally disrupted industries as well as provided the tools to be able to share great music. In creating Digital Crates on this site, I have tried to share what I come across while traversing the world of the interwebs, albeit inconsistently. The non-profit NPR hosts Tiny Desk Concerts, which is a simple yet powerful concept – bring in artists to perform in a corner of their offices and film them. The intimacy of the performances place the spotlight firmly on the music...

Ro James’ Eldorado, Random Thoughts

Jul 6, 2016 | Sound

Our influences often subtly guide our decisions in and perspectives of the world. With musicians, being able to tap into influences without becoming imitations that fall short is a real challenge. Many an artist has floundered because they are unable to find their voice beyond the musicians that influence them. Ronnie James Tucker, known as Ro James, has been able to establish his space amidst the multiple and diverse people and sounds that have inspired him, from David Bowie, Prince, and Sly and the Family Stone to D’Angelo, Notorious BIG and Otis Redding. Born in Stuttgart, Germany to a...