This cache was placed for the GSE3: What's On My Chaching Playlist? event that takes place on July 22, 2023.
Edit 2024: the band just dropped their second album, Dzikkuh, and it is a little heavier but keeps all the elements that make the band so unique. Dzikkuh has all the makings of a true breakout album and I hope these guys get the recognition they deserve.
Here's one really neat band that can be found on my playlist: Arka'n Asrafokor from Togo, a small country in Africa.
In their own words: "The band’s originality stems from their music, “Asrafo-core” which is a fusion of hard rock/metal and African mystic and warrior music." Originality surely is a perfect description, as I have yet to find another band that blends cultures to make a sound anything even remotely like Arka'n do. A mix of traditional instrumentation and beats, and an intense spirituality, paired with loud guitars, drums, rapping, singing, and positive messaging, makes for an uplifting listening experience. The band is trilingual, singing songs in English, French, and Ewe (the local language)
Just as they've introduced heavy metal to many people in their native Togo, and made many fans there, I present the song Mamade, performed live in Togo in 2018.
Arka'n Asrafokor - Mamade (Live 2018)
