Deejay Volta45 was here

The thrill of handling  music on  vinyl (gramophone records) was evident in his own body language as his head bobbed to the music from his equipment.

For London-based radio presenter and deejay, Bernard Johnson-Tackie, also known  as Volta45, it was a real delight realising that his collection of  music on vinyl was highly appreciated when he played at The Republic and Nubuke Foundation in Accra during a recent visit.

“It is all about  the aesthetic of having a musical form that is physical, something  you can see and hold. Of course,  the art work on the album covers also have their own attraction.

“These days when musicians do songs, they just stick them on iTunes for downloading.  So that  thrill of something  you can feel is no longer there. I also think vinyl  sounds much better, anyway,” said Volta45 as he extolled the qualities of vinyl records.

The man grew up in Accra and his father’s love for big band jazz by artistes like Count Basie and  Duke Ellington defined his attraction to live music.

According to Volta45, he has over 6,000 pieces of vinyl records collected  mainly from West  African countries. He plays his collection at a variety of social events across Europe and on Haggerston Radio in Stoke Newington, London.

“I travel a lot in West Africa. I go to places like Senegal, Guinea, Benin and Mali just looking for records. I have a lot  from Ghana as well. It was fairly easy to finding vinyl a few years ago but now it is more difficult.”

At the Accra gigs, Volta45 played selections  by musicians like Ebo Taylor, Frank Bota, Gyedu Blay and Fela Anikulapo Kuti.  Those same songs, he claims, are very much loved in London and other European cities whenever he plays them. 

“I get people from all sorts of backgrounds and age groups dancing to the variety of African music I play. I don’t fill big arenas but I still attract decent numbers wherever I play.”

He says the often positive reaction to the music he offers  in Europe, points to the direction contemporary Ghanaian musicians could take for better acceptance abroad.

While here, Volta45 recorded two songs by the Hewale Sounds which would be mixed, mastered and released later in the year on seven-inch vinyl records in London.

To him, that would be a wonderful way of sticking to his love of vinyl records and the crusade to help popularise African music outside the continent.