Burning The Ground Exclusive 1987
“Yé ké yé ké” is a song by Guinean recording artist Mory Kanté. It was released in 1987 as a single from his third studio album, Akwaba Beach. The song became an international hit; it was one of Africa’s best-ever selling hits as well as being a European number one in 1988, making it the first ever African single to sell over one million copies. The song was a top five hit in France, Switzerland, Germany and the Netherlands, where it topped the chart for two weeks. In the UK the song reached #29. In the United States “Yé ké yé ké” peaked at #19 on the Billboard Dance chart.
The lyrics are in Mandinka. Kanté adapted it from a traditional song called “Yekeke.” “All good things have many owners,” said Kanté in a 1997 interview. He added that “the song comes from a wonderful tradition we have in the villages. You know, when young griots are approaching the age of marriage, they flirt with each other through music. They court and ensnare each other through their songs and dances. These are sweet songs, I swear. ‘Yekeke’ is one of them. It’s the sound that young women make when they dance … It’s their way of communicating their interest.”
Kanté died on 22 May 2020 at a hospital in Conakry at the age of 70. He was suffering from chronic illnesses in the last years of his life and often received treatment in France. This ceased to be possible following the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic in that country. He is buried at Conakry Kipe’s cemetery.
SIDE A:
Yé Ké Yé Ké (French Remix) 6:22
Yé Ké Yé Ké (Afro Acid Mix) 5:25
Remix [Aciduously Remixed By] – Martyn Young
SIDE B:
Yé Ké Yé Ké (Mory’s House Version) 5:28
Remix [Aciduously Remixed By] – Martyn Young
Yé Ké Yé Ké (French Edit) 4:00
Akwaba Beach 5:15
VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint
U.S. CHART HISTORY:
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | Yé Ké Yé Ké | U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Music / Club Play | #19 |
RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Polydor – 887 948-1
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 33 ⅓ RPM, Single, Stereo
Country: US
Released: 1987
Genre: Electronic
Style: Acid House, House
CREDITS:
- Composed By, Arranged By – Mory Kanté
- Executive-Producer – Otis M’Baye
- Producer – Nick Patrick
NOTES:
From the L.P. “Akwaba Beach”
Printed in U.S.A
Buy the 12″ at DISCOGS
VINYL TRANSFER & AUDIO RESTORATION:
-DjPaulT
burningtheground.net
THE GEAR:
Turntable: Technics SL-1200MK7
Cartridge/Stylus: Ortofon 2M Black PnP MkII
Turntable Isolation Platform: ISO-Tone™ Turntable Isolation Platform
Platter: Pro Spin Acrylic Mat
Stabilizer: Pro-Ject Record Puck
Phono Pre-amp: Pro-Jec Tube Box DS2
Tubes: Genalex Gold Lion 12AX7 ECC83/B759 Gold Pins Vacuum Tube – Matched Pair
DAC: Alpha Design Labs GT40a USB DAC
Record Cleaning: VPI HW 16.5 Record Cleaning Machine
Artwork Scans: Epson Workforce WF-7610 Professional Printer/Scanner
SOFTWARE:
Recording/Editing: Adobe Audition 3.0 (Recording)
Down Sampling/Dither: iZotope RX Advanced 2
Artwork Editor: Adobe Photoshop CS5
Click Removal: Manual
FLAC/MP3 Conversion: dBpoweramp
M3U Playlist: Playlist Creator
RESTORATION NOTES:
All vinyl rips are recorded @ 32bit/float
FLAC (Level Eight)
Artwork scanned at 600dpi
**24bit FLAC Only Available For Seven Days!
Password: burningtheground
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