Ata Kak crashes back into our lives with Yasi Town and yes, it’s still weirdly perfect.
Our favorite left-field wizard, Ata Kak, just dropped “Yasi Town” today via Awesome Tapes Of Africa. Imagine a 90s drum machine taking a detour through a time portal: it’s highlife on steroids, lo-fi funk, and Twi rap running wild with quirky electronic jolts. It’s got that unmistakable Ata Kak recipe — rough edges, infectious grooves, and pure, unfiltered joy. Basically, it’s like finding your uncle’s old cassette, except this one still makes people lose it on the dancefloor.
Ata Kak (Yaw Atta-Owusu), born in Kumasi, Ghana, 1960, is the man who accidentally became a cult hero. First a bar performer, then a reggae band drummer in Germany, later a Stevie-and-MJ-loving beat-tinkerer in Toronto. In 1994, he recorded Obaa Sima in his living room with scavenged gear, pressed 50 tapes, sold about three, and promptly vanished into obscurity. Enter cassette-archaeologist Brian Shimkovitz, who stumbled upon a copy in a Cape Coast market and reissued it through Awesome Tapes From Africa. Suddenly, Ata Kak was crowned the lo-fi king of global dance floors. His sound? A kaleidoscopic mash of Ghanaian highlife, raw rap, jittery funk, and early house — weird, wonderful, and utterly addictive. Now in 2025, he’s back with Yasi Town — still cryptic, still electric, still brilliantly himself.
“Batakari,” out November 7, 2025 via Awesome Tapes Of Africa.
Passport_
Follow_
Ata Kak : Website | Youtube | Bandcamp | Spotify | Instagram | Soundcloud
