Gnonnas Pedro and His Dadjes Band - 1974-1983
Alright! Another doozy from the inimitable and spirited folks at Analog Africa. The same label that brought us Hallelujah Chicken Run Band, The Movers and who could forget, Space Echo, now brings us this compilation Gnonnas Pedro and his Dadjes Band. I committed to this one not knowing anything about it or having heard any of it other than the first song, “Dadje Von O Von Non "83"”. That was all I needed to hear. You know I love a good vamp! Back to Analog Africa...aside from consistently curating a delightful collection of songs, the jacket and liner notes are always just as good. I always love reading AA founder, Samy Ben Redjeb’s, stories about his crate digging, detective work and finally the licensing of these lost recordings. We’ve got another one from the label in the wings so enjoy and get ready for more!
William Abad - Chinchipe, Ecuador
Once you start drinking good coffee it's hard to go back to the ordinary stuff. This is the experience that William Abad had while he was training to become a better coffee taster. That process led him down the road of specialty coffee and he never looked back. Over the years William has shifted the focus of his farm, Los Pinos, to growing high quality coffees with many interesting varietals such as Typica and the very exotic Typica Mejorado. Not much is known of the origins of this variety but, like Sidra, it is thought to have originated in a Nestle coffee lab in Pichincha, Ecuador. Typica Mejorado is not related to Typica but was likely named this because the two varietals share a similar cup profile The Typica Mejorado plant is tall and generally has a low yield and looks much like a Gesha plant. The variety has gained popularity in recent years and has even been used by competitors in the World Barista Competition. William's blend of Typica and Typica Mejorado is full of citrus, florals and red berries with a panela sweetness.
