Awesome Tapes From Africa

While on a Fulbright scholarship in Ghana, Brian Shimkovitz became fascinated with the region's cassette culture. Street vendors offered an array of West African recordings across various genres, from highlife and African disco to unique local pop and old left-field soul. To share his enthusiasm for this music, much of which is largely unknown outside West Africa, Shimkovitz started a blog called Awesome Tapes from Africa and eventually a record label.