Soul Makossa
One of the most spectacular discotheque records in recent months [1973] is a perfect example of the genre: Manu Dibango's "Soul Makossa." Originally a French pressing on the Fiesta label, the 45 was being largely undistributed by an African import company in Brooklyn when David Mancuso brought it to the attention of DJ Frankie Crocker. Crocker broke it on the air on New York's WBLS-FM, a black station highly attuned to the disco sound, but the record was made in discotheques where its hypnotic beat and mysterious African vocals drove people crazy. Within days, "Soul Makossa" was the underground record and when copies of the original 45 disappeared at $3 and $4, cover versions (many unlicensed and one a pirated copy put out under another group's name) were rushed out. Atlantic Records stepped into this confusion, bought the U.S. rights and had both the single and an album out on their own label days later . . . .
Excerpt from "Discotheque Rock '72: Paaaaarty!" by Vince Aletti from Rolling Stone, September 13, 1973.
http://www.rhino.com/features/liners/75595lin4.html
No review of a Manu Dibango album is complete without the now clichéd reference to "Soul Makossa." Dibango fused jazz and African rhythms, with his funky saxophone to produce a single that launched his career worldwide. The record climbed global charts, including American popular music-in 1973 no less-serving as another milestone for African music. To some "Soul Makossa" defined the concept of world music.
The story of the first ever hit by a Paris-based African is enlightening. In 1971 Cameroon's Minister for Sport financed the recording of an anthem composed by Manu Dibango in honour of the national football team, for the 8th Coupe des Tropiques due to take place in Yaoundé. The single was released in 1972, with "Soul Makossa" as its B-side. The Cameroonians were then knocked out and the record was duly forgotten. But the song reappeared on a Dibango album released at the end of 1972 by French Decca's Africa division. On the other side of the Atlantic, meanwhile, African-American radio programmers [Frankie Crocker] were scoring heavily with "Soul Makossa". The French label paid no attention to this phenomenon and ignored the African artist, but New York's prestigious Atlantic label signed him up. The result was two years of sell-out live performances in the US and a cool two million records sold. There was a further development in 1982, when Michael Jackson revived the famous "Ma ma ma, Ma ma sa, Ma ma Makossa" chorus on the opening track of his multimillion-selling Thriller album. Dibango's lawyers obtained compensation in an out-of-court settlement. -- from http://www.mediaport.net/CP/AfricArt/100CD/CD/040.html
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