#497: Various Artists - The Indestructible Beat of Soweto (1985)

The Abrahams embark on a cultural excursion with album #497: The Indestructible Beat of Soweto, a compilation that Rolling Stone calls the "greatest album ever marketed under the heading 'World Music'." Abraham (Chenzie) and AbraHAM (Guy) immediately question the "checkbox" nature of this entry - is it a cohesive artistic statement or just a playlist put together by two British guys to introduce "exotic" sounds to the West?

They dive into the "jarringly fresh" sounds of Mbaqanga and Isicathamiya, debating whether the beats are "loping" or "looping" (spoiler: it’s a horse thing). The hosts struggle bravely with pronunciations that sound like "Harry Potter spells," celebrate the "goat-voiced" growl of Mahlathini, and discuss the Mean G ...