• Home
  • About
  • Get Involved
  • Contact
  • Pitching Us
  • Bio Services
Atwood Magazine - For the Love of Music For the Love of Music
  • Recent
  • Features
  • Interviews
  • Editor’s Picks
  • Reviews
    • Our Take
    • Debuts
    • Videos
    • Live
  • Premieres
  • Columns
    • Today’s Song
    • Weekly Roundup
    • Music You Should Know
    • Nostalgia Tracks
Columns, Music, Today's SongOctober 26, 2020October 26, 2020

Today’s Song: Alostmen Reimagine Traditional Ghanian Music on Party Anthem “Kologo”

by Oliver Crook
Alostmen © 2020
Alostmen © 2020
Ghanaian band Alostmen’s new song “Kologo” is a masterful reinvention: This modern take on an ancient instrument creates a party atmosphere that celebrates the past while harkening to a bright musical future.
 follow our Today’s Song(s) playlist

Atwood Magazine Today's Songs logo

Stream: “Kologo” – Alostmen




Traditions are what grounds our communities. They remind us where we come from and what’s important. They can also be reinvented and used to explore our world in a whole new way. Alostmen’s new single, “Kologo” does exactly this.

Kologo - Alostmen
Kologo – Alostmen

Named after the traditional, two-stringed lute common amongst the nomadic herdsmen and healers of the Frafra people, the song is an ode to Ghana’s musical roots and a reimagination of what the ancient instrument can do. “The kologo is traditionally played a certain way but Stevo [Atambire] is unique. He will play it at the shortest end of bridge, he accentuates, almost playing it Hendrix style,” says producer and fellow star Wanlov the Kubolor. “He has evolved the kologo more than any other artist in Ghana, in my view.”

Opening with the entrancing kologo riff, “Kologo” repeats with an urgency that demands—and deserves—your full attention. “Put on your dancing shoes,” he urges, but the beat is so infectious you’re already lacing them up. Gang vocals reverberate throughout the track, creating the sense of a community inherent in old traditions. 

The chorus captures the kologo’s enduring and continuous legacy. With its two strings vibrating in the background, Atambire recites the entangled history of music and his nation. 

Kologo dey before the banjo
Kologo dey before the oud
Kologo dey before the guitar
Kologo dey before the lute
Kologo dey before Ghana
Kologo dey before my youth
Kologo dey before my mother
Kologo music be the root
Alostmen © 2020
Alostmen © 2020



This modern take on an ancient instrument creates a party atmosphere that celebrates the past and harkens to a bright musical future.

The second verse sees Wanlov the Kubolor’s hip-hop musings about Ghana’s musical past, while footage of Atambire in traditional dress dancing around his village cements the powerful influence of their homeland in the music. “I’m a yout’man and into different kinds of music: commercial, rap music, reggae music, Malian sounds. If you see me play, you might not sense that but my instrument is where I come from and I add to my music in different ways,” says Atambire.

A four-piece band, Alostmen is led by Stevo Atambire alongside “Jo Ajusiwine, a brilliant goje (two-string fiddle) player and singer, talking drummer Aminu who has played in Ambolley’s highlife band, and Sowah who plays heavy Ga rhythms on the gome box, djembe and conga” (per Atambire).

Ghanian music has always been vibrant and intrinsically connected to culture. Alostmen’s “Kologo” celebrates this history, while modernizing it and presenting it to a new audience. 

— —

Stream: “Kologo” – Alostmen




— — — —

Kologo - Alostmen

Connect to Alostmen on Facebook
Discover new music on Atwood Magazine
📸 © 2020

:: Today’s Song(s) ::

 follow our daily playlist on Spotify



:: Stream Alostmen ::


  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Tumblr
  • Reddit
  • Email
  • Pocket
Oliver Crook
Written By
Oliver Crook
More from Oliver Crook

Premiere: Wyndham’s “Time to Kill” Is a Sonically Rich Exploration of Emotional Procrastination

Wyndham’s voice is pained but sweet, his guitars are laid back and...
Read More

You may also like

Steve Brian © denn_is_art
March 23, 2021

Interview with Steve Brian: A ‘1986’ Offspring from Germany Delivers a Second Stunning Offering of EDM

Grouplove © Jimmy Fontaine
March 25, 2021

“We’re Just Oxygen Swimming”: A Conversation with Hannah Hooper of Grouplove

Grouplove © JMH
August 20, 2018

Today’s Song: Grouplove’s “Remember That Night” Embraces the Full Spectrum of Memory

Drama - NoMBe cover
February 23, 2018

This Just In: Relax with NoMBe’s Vibing and Carefree “Drama”

Jerry Williams © Phoebe Fox music
January 11, 2019

Here’s to a Good Life: Jerry Williams’ Raw & Intimate Song “David at the Bar”

Harrison Lipton © 2018
April 23, 2018

Premiere: Harrison Lipton Basks in “Clouds” of Euphoria & Sorrow

Previous articleAtwood Magazine’s Weekly Roundup: October 23, 2020
Next articleInterview: Takuya Kuroda is Conquering the World’s Biggest Cities by Way of the Trumpet

About The Site

Atwood is a digital music magazine that seeks out visionary artists and fresh voices with the goal of promoting the arts. The Atwood team is made up of individuals from all over the world that are passionate about art and innovation. We aim to showcase not only incredible creation, but also the stories behind them.

Subscribe to Atwood Magazine

Brand New

  • Conspiracy & Catharsis: Cliffs + Caves Search for Truth in Achingly Raw “Mint Gum” ft. David Ramirez
  • “Overcoming the Patriarchy Effect”: An Essay by Meris Gantt for Women’s History Month
  • Feature: Knox’s Debut EP ‘How to Lose a Girl in 7 Songs’ Is a Passion-Fueled Pop/Rock Frenzy
  • Premiere: Brooklyn’s Foley Lay Down a Smoldering, Dreamy Groove on “Hold Within”
  • Premiere: Sondre Lerche Channels Pain & Grief into Musical Beauty on “The Most Savage Joke”
  • Today’s Song: MisterWives Enter a New Era with Punk Rock Rager, “Out of Your Mind”
  • Premiere: B-Drop Worldwide Showcases Coline Creuzot & Lucius Arthur

Our People

Mitch Mosk
Adrian Vargas
Nicole Almeida
Oliver Crook
Mariel Fechik
Roberto Sanchez
Maggie McHale
Guest Writer
Josh Weiner
James Crowley
Kelly McCafferty Dorogy
Francesca Rose
Anthony Kozlowski
Chloe Robinson
Ben Niesen
Joe Beer
Bethan Harper
Dimitra Gurduiala
Ilana Kalish
Coco Rich
Danny Vagnoni
Beau Hayhoe
Sophie Prettyman-Beauchamp
Nasim Elyasi
Nick Matthopoulos
Lilly Eason
Nina Schaarschmidt
Audrey Steeves
Kelly Liu
Emily Frances Algar
Jason Brillon
Rachel Leong
Sophie Severs
Adam Davidson
David Buyze
Isabella Le
Diego Morales
Nic Nichols
Nasya Blackshear
Ditta Demeter
Lauren Turner
Kevin Krein
Michael Greco
Kosiso Ugwueze
Jordan Catagnus
Minna Abdel-Gawad
Andrew Daly
Jamie Kahn
Lauren Hicks
Nick Polak
Madeleine Eggen
Emily Staley
Julius Robinson
Kylie Gurewitz
Claire Meyer
Collin Leonard
Brianna Corrine
Miles Campbell
Christopher Snyder
Sam Franzini
Melanie Lustig
Dominic Kureen
Ankita Bhanot
Staff

:: discover something new ::

More Stories

Trans Trenderz
Black History Month, Music

Trans Trenderz Artists Share Their Top Musical Influences for Black History Month

Disclaimer

Atwood Magazine

The postings on this site belong to Atwood Magazine's writers alone and do not reflect the views of any third party.

Recent Posts

  • Conspiracy & Catharsis: Cliffs + Caves Search for Truth in Achingly Raw “Mint Gum” ft. David Ramirez March 30, 2023
  • “Overcoming the Patriarchy Effect”: An Essay by Meris Gantt for Women’s History Month March 30, 2023
  • Feature: Knox’s Debut EP ‘How to Lose a Girl in 7 Songs’ Is a Passion-Fueled Pop/Rock Frenzy March 30, 2023
  • Premiere: Brooklyn’s Foley Lay Down a Smoldering, Dreamy Groove on “Hold Within” March 30, 2023
  • Premiere: Sondre Lerche Channels Pain & Grief into Musical Beauty on “The Most Savage Joke” March 30, 2023
  • Today’s Song: MisterWives Enter a New Era with Punk Rock Rager, “Out of Your Mind” March 30, 2023
  • Premiere: B-Drop Worldwide Showcases Coline Creuzot & Lucius Arthur March 29, 2023
  • Editor’s Picks 94: Hana Eid, Raia Was, Kate Davis, Robyn Froese, Jealous of the Birds, & Why Bonnie! March 29, 2023
  • Podcast: Tunes & Tumblers Features Mazie and a Kaleidoscopic Journey March 29, 2023
  • Lightning in a Bottle: Gracie Abrams, Live from Austin March 29, 2023
© Atwood Magazine 2023 For the Love of Music
Back to top
 

Loading Comments...