80’s Flashback

Mory Kante, Yeke Yeke, 1988. With this global #1 hit, Guinean Mory Kante became the first African to score a million-selling single. The remix was a monster smash in gay clubs; my late pal Daniel literally broke his foot dancing to it at Miami’s Cheers, where DJ Danny Tenaglia often made it a cornerstone of his sets. In 1994 the German techno duo Hardfloor released a remix of Yeke Yeke to decent success here, much better overseas. This is one of those songs that you sing along to, even though you don’t even know its language. Btw, I’ve always wondered if that’s Sade making a cameo around the 30-second mark.