25 Songs, 25 Days - Day 17: A Song That Makes You Want To Dance

During my internship for music therapy I discovered a lot of great music I didn't know I liked. Among these genres were Soul, Blues, and Hilife. The latter one is one that people usually don't understand when I tell them about it. Hilife music is African music, specifically from Ghana region, but has American jazz influences as well. I've always been fascinated by songs from other countries and ended up doing a special project in which I made two cds representing the continents of Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Americas. I came up with the idea after seeing that the care center in which I was working had very little cultural music, most of it being golden oldies and classical. I made the cds on my own computer, so I got to keep the downloaded files as well.

The song that really gets me dancing is called "Jeun  Ko Ku (Chop 'n Quench)" by Fela Kuti and Nigeria 70. There are no lyrics, it is just 7 minutes of African jazz with a great beat. I've actually used this in sessions for drumming circles because of its steady beat and rhythm. It's one of those songs that you listen to and you can't help but tap your feet.