Rare 80s Togo electro-funk by Roger Damawuzan gets reissued by Hot Casa

Singer/producer Roger Damawuzan cut four synth-soaked tracks for demo purposes which are finally available outside of Lomé thanks to Hot Casa.  

Here's the scoop...

Can we consider Roger Damawuzan as the first modern African beat maker? 

From his 1978 live tapes recorded with an Nagra analog deck at Otodi Studio, he remixed and rearranged at home with drum machine to complete the four-song album. 

Self produced in 1981 in Lomé (Togo), pressed as a limited promotional vinyl release (less than 100 copies), this album is a treasure trove! The style? a low-fi funky soul proto-hip hop sound, a soulful vision, years before the electro invasion took hold in Africa. 

Born in 1952 in Aneho (Togo), Roger is known as “The King of Gazo” (a traditional rhythm) and is one of the most popular singers of his native country. Roger studied in Collège Technique de Taddjin in Lomé and began learning music on the benches of the technical business college with young secondary school children. He started his career in 1968 as a member of The “Ricker’s”. Their first concert at the Goethe Institute” a special avant garde place ran by a German fund. 

“I love to listen to American soul, it was my main influence, even though we sang cha cha cha, bossa nova or jerk, I was always fascinated by James Brown, Wilson Pickett, Johnny Nash and later Jimmy Cliff. The creation of Les as du Benin came from an idea of band members from “Melo Togo” to play in different restaurants in a way to multiply the revenue.” 

Damawuzan’s first record was released in 1971.Ten years later, he remixed his own tape cause he "always want to work for the future." Roger is known as the James Brown of Lomé but he should also be considered a fabulous funky visionary! 

Check out the brilliant "Do You Know My Name" below. Get a copy of Roger Damawuzan's  Tropicana Souvenir, Vol. 2 via Bandcamp right here.