Richy Pitch first made a name for himself back in 1996 when he was resident DJ of the legendary nightclub, Scratch and would play alongside guests such as Macy Gray, Eminem, The Black Eyed Peas and De La Soul.

Moving from the UK to Ghana, West Africa, Pitch took on the challenge to record an LP which was to draw on his many musical experiences during his stay. His aim was to record with local stars to fuse the classic sound of Ghanaian music with his own production skills that he had already developed in London. From this project came Ye Fre Me Richy Pitch, which translates to My Name Is Richy Pitch in Twi (one of Ghana's many spoken languages).

This album infuses together an African exoticness with London beats and electronic hip-hop to serve to its listeners an array of musical sounds.

I particularly like the sounds of 'Obroni' (meaning 'white man' in twi) with its upbeat and lively sound intertwined with the soulful and sultry tones of the brass.

The rhythm of 'Blackstar' starts slow and is reminiscent of the old style electronica but as the tune progresses the faster paced it becomes until finally reaching the catchy chorus. I like the vibe to this track, it's upbeat, pure and jumping.

'Dey Craze' is a high energy tune with beats to get your bootie shaking too, whilst 'Dey Suffer' has more of a sophisticated jazzy feel to it.

Moving on to more of a reggae/hip-hop vibe is 'We're Taking Over'. The rapping is fast and the bass is deep, toward the end of the track it's turned on its head to a hiplife vibe which leaves you wanting more.

I love the rapping in 'Only Your Walkings', this tune has a catchy chorus and melody and having previously lived in Ghana it brings back an array of good memories of the food, music and people.

From local customary Ghanaian Highlife and hiplife to Afrobeat and traditional percussion music this album has been lovingly put together with a fresh production twist and brings modern day styles together with some very old traditional values of Ghana. What a truly magical African journey!

9

Helena Rea