Bulsa Traditional Kpanung music by Phillip Abiikaro

PHILLIP ABIIKARO- BULSA TRADITIONAL MUSICIAN FROM THE UPPER EAST REGION OF GHANA, WEST AFRICA.

This is the same region Frafra Kologo superstars like Atongo Simba, King Ayisoba, and Atimbilla hail from.

The Bulsa Kpanung (sometimes called kpalung in colloquial Buli) music is made from a two- string local guitar(kpanung) made out of scrap metal, wood and animal skin. This is played alongside a calabash stuffed with rags/waste clothing, which gives the rythm of the sound.

The voice of the singer is tuned to match with the kind of sound produced by the kpanung, which is usually in tenor or treble form. This makes the Bulsa kpanung music uniquely different from kologo music which done with a similar instrument but with bass keys.

Therefore, whereas a Frafra Kologo musician can sing in his normal voice or in bass voice, a Bulsa kpanung musician like the kpanung legend Apolinya or the up and coming Phillip Abiikaro cannot afford to sing in their normal voices.

To a Bulsa listener, the quality of the kpanung musician is measured by his ability to perfectly match his voice to the sound and rythm produced by his kpanung.

Bulsa traditional musicians sing about their own personal or general challenges of life, spirituality and life ,and human interpersonal relations.

Others may not appreciate this but that is what makes music a cultural phenomenon but with a universal voice in which everyone can listen to and pick either the rythm or lyrics from. I love listening to Salif Keita from Mali but I don't understand his lyrics.

Like me, if you are fed up listening to Africans copy and repackaged Eurocentric or American sounds and give to flamboyant names, and wants to listen to original indigenous African music, this is the kind of music you should listen to.

This is just to educate people watching this for the first time, and don't forget to follow this page for more original African music videos .

#minoitrii 🤐