British-Ghanaian music producer, Juls has raised alarming concerns over the loss of ownership of Highlife music in Ghana to European labels.
In an exclusive interview with Rev Erskine on the Myd Morning Radio Show on Y 107.9 FM, Juls stated that a lot of the Highlife music created by Ghanaian legends is no longer owned by the genre’s greats.
“A lot of them are owned by European labels who really and truly don’t have anything to use it for but just for catalog and cases. So we don’t even have ownership of that music anymore,” Juls lamented.
Highlife is a genre of music that originated in Ghana in the early 20th century and incorporates elements of traditional Akan music with Western jazz and swing music. It gained widespread popularity in Ghana and other parts of West Africa and has influenced various music genres globally.
Juls also emphasized the importance of reviving Highlife music and giving credit to the pioneers of the genre, such as Ebo Taylor. “Now it’s kind of like let’s try and see what we can do to kind of like revive that because our love Ebo Taylor and all these guys to be spoken in greater lights is more of if you know, you know. Everybody knows Fela Kuti but not many know Ebo Taylor and these guys were literally working together back in the days,” he said.
Juls believes that intentional efforts need to be made to bring Highlife music back to the forefront. “It’s just about intentionality and hopefully with time something happens but I know for me that’s kind of what my focus is at the moment,” he added.
“Now it’s kind of like let’s try and see what we can do to kind of like revive that because our love for Ebo Taylor and all these guys to be spoken in greater lights is more of if you know, you know. Everybody knows Fela Kuti but not many know Ebo Taylor, and these guys were literally working together back in the days,” Juls stated.
Juls hopes that with time, there will be a concerted effort to regain ownership of Highlife music and promote it on a global scale. In the meantime, he remains focused on reviving and promoting the genre through his music.
By: Jude Tackie
