Ebo Tylor’s Music Influence to the World

Image courtsey of Africa Interviews

By Naliaka Kitui

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Ebo Taylor’s influence can be seen across genres today, particularly with the emergence of afro beats in the early 2000s, fusing afrobeat and highlife with EDM, hip-hop and reggae.

Taylor is quick to highlight the fact that the popularity of afro beats has coincided with its embrace of authentically African arrangements and a departure from heavy hip-hop and R&B sounds which he believes could seem forced.

“The music we made was real music, it made you stop and think,” he said. “It’s not surprising that people are connecting with afro beats more now that it is embracing elements from the music we made.”

Taylor won’t say much about his highly anticipated new release. But it is uncharted territory for the guitarist and composer. He is working on it without support from two of his key collaborators: Essilfie-Bondzie, who became Taylor’s career-long executive producer; and Tony Allen, the legendary Nigerian drummer with whom he collaborated extensively on his recent projects.

Allen and Essilfie-Bondzie died within months of each other earlier this year. Taylor fondly remembers both of them and lights up as he recalls his studio sessions with Allen. “The entire studio would freeze,” he said.” We just couldn’t understand how he was creating those sounds. Nobody knew what to expect next. It was magic.”

Over the last few years, Taylor has toured throughout Europe with his Saltpond City band organised by his son Roy, and has been more likely to be seen playing in Amsterdam or Berlin than in Accra or Lagos.

While Taylor is likely to slow down on touring, he intends to continue making music. “It’s what I love to do, it’s who I am,” he said. He intends to introduce his music to younger and more mainstream audiences and was keen to express his desire to collaborate with Ghanaian rappers M.anifest and Reggie Rockstone.

Like Nkrumah who is his hero, Taylor sees him as unique among African leaders past and present for his concern for the common man; Taylor wants to be remembered as a man of the people — not as a rockstar. “I want to be remembered for my music, for my art and as Ebo Taylor the man,” he said.