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Technology is one of the great drivers of musical change, and often one of it's least understood. In this episode, we will explore the synthesizer, looking closely at the history of this ubiquitous (and often debated) piece of musical technology, and investigating how and why it was first used in a variety African musics. Enabled by groundbreaking reissues of synth pioneers like William Onyeabor (Nigeria) and Hailu Mergia (Ethiopia), disco stars like Kris Okotie, and South African bubblegum superstars like Brenda Fassie, we will take you back to the 70’s and 80’s, listening to the birth of a distinctly African electronic sound.
