Distant Relatives

The study of musicology has undergone a serious revolution in recent years. Where once the discipline knew its own limits - it has now become an all-encompassing field that explores gender, sexuality, patronage and race.

Within an ever-awakening postcolonial context, the scholarship behind the African diaspora and the study of musical form have never been more intertwined. Whether it be the polyrhythmic heritage of the djembe drum in modern jazz or the transatlantic desire to sonically smash through the glass ceiling of Western musical convention, the footprint left by the music of Africa's Golden Coast can be found across the world.

Join James Zaremba as he foolishly takes on the unassailable task of documenting the musical map of the African diaspora. Starting off this week with music from across the mother continent.