PRODUCT DETAILS
SK Kakraba is master of the gyil, Ghanaian xylophone made of 14 wooden slats strung across calabash gourd resonators. The buzzy rattle emitted with each note comes from the silk walls of spiders’ egg sacs stretched across holes in the gourds, called paapieye in Lobi language. The gyil’s earthy sound can be heard in parts of Upper West and Northern Regions of Ghana, as well as Côte d’Ivoire, Burkina Faso and beyond, where it goes by other names. The characteristic buzzing timbre might sound odd to foreign ears. But this distortion is just one of the beautifying sensibilities crucial to SK’s gyil music, which he learned as a child from elders in his Lobi community in the far northwest reaches of Ghana. Although the gyil is sometimes played in pairs and with drum and bell, SK lives in Los Angeles these days and plays alone quite often. Songs of Paapieye surveys a deliberate snapshot of SK’s hereditary Lobi repertoire heard through the lens of a stripped-down, and sometimes spare-sounding, solo gyil. The album focuses on a selection of SK’s favorite song cycles, funeral dirges, improvised interpretations on traditional songs and original compositions—and combinations thereof.
Tracklist:
- Lubile Prai
- Banyere Yo
- Darifu
- Darikpon Variations
- Sokpa
- Gunn
UPC: 656605561516
Label: Awesome Tapes From
Release Date: 10.2.15
Format: Vinyl Record
SHIPPING & RETURNS
SHIPPING
- No dinged corners: All orders hand-packed by vinyl lovers using sturdy mailers specifically designed to protect your records during transit.
- The protection your records deserve: Every order includes free shipping insurance that covers you in case of damage or loss during shipping.
- All you can ship at one rate: $5.99 flat-rate shipping on all domestic orders.
- Protect the planet: Carbon-neutral shipping and mailers made of recycled materials on all orders.
- Read our full shipping policy.
RETURNS
- Change your mind? No problem: No nonsense 30-day return policy on all domestic orders.
- Read our full return policy.
PRODUCT REVIEWS
ABOUT US
For over 10 years, Pale Blue Dot Records has shared and supported your love of vinyl records. We are an independent online record store located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and we’re passionate about music, the vinyl community, and doing our part to protect the environment. Learn more about us here.
