Akan highlife
E599445
Akan highlife is a Ghanaian musical genre that blends traditional Akan rhythms and melodies with Western instruments and harmonies, forming one of the foundational styles of modern West African popular music.
Observed surface forms (1)
| Surface form | Occurrences |
|---|---|
| Highlife | 2 |
Statements (46)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
highlife subgenre
ⓘ
musical genre ⓘ |
| associatedWithEthnicGroup | Akan NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| countryOfOrigin | Ghana NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| culturalOrigin | Akan people NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| derivesFrom |
Akan court music
ⓘ
palm-wine music ⓘ |
| developedInCentury | 20th century ⓘ |
| developedInCountry | Ghana NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| hasCharacteristic |
blend of traditional Akan rhythms with Western instruments
ⓘ
emphasis on danceable rhythm ⓘ use of Akan tonal language in melodies ⓘ |
| incorporatesElement |
Western harmonies
ⓘ
call-and-response vocals ⓘ dance-oriented grooves ⓘ syncopated rhythms ⓘ |
| influencedGenre |
Afrobeats
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
contemporary West African pop ⓘ modern Ghanaian highlife ⓘ |
| languageUsed |
Akan
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Fante ⓘ Twi NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| lyricalTheme |
everyday life
ⓘ
love ⓘ morality ⓘ social commentary ⓘ |
| partOf |
Ghanaian popular music
ⓘ
West African popular music ⓘ |
| performancePractice |
band-based ensemble
ⓘ
lead vocal with backing chorus ⓘ |
| regionOfOrigin | West Africa NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| relatedGenre |
Ewe highlife
ⓘ
Ga highlife ⓘ |
| stylisticOrigin |
highlife
ⓘ
traditional Akan music ⓘ |
| typicalContext |
celebrations
ⓘ
social dance events ⓘ urban entertainment venues ⓘ |
| typicalInstrumentation |
bass guitar
ⓘ
drum kit ⓘ guitar ⓘ horn section ⓘ keyboard ⓘ percussion ⓘ |
| usesMelodicElementsFrom | Akan folk songs ⓘ |
| usesRhythmsFrom | Akan drumming traditions ⓘ |
Referenced by (3)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.
this entity surface form:
Highlife