Local Dimension Band and the Cultural Revival in Ghanaian Popular Music

The Local Dimension Band is a miscellany of scholarly and traditionally trained musicians with different ethnicities, symbolising cultural convergence. This paper examines the band’s concept of music creation within the global development of popular music in Ghana. We also assess the band’s instrumental and musical resources elaborating on the artistic and ethnic background of the musicians involved in an attempt to discern the stylistic traits of the band as a contribution to the cultural revival in Ghanaian popular music. Data for this study was collected through documentary search, interviews and audio reviews. Analyses of selected musical compositions of the band show the ratio of a return to sources and modernisation of a musical trend. Subsequently, we conclude that musical nationalism is not opposed to foreign influences; however, it depends on the mode of absorption of the latter, which also justifies music as a subject of instruction. Therefore, we recommend the works of the Local Dimension Band for students, composers and researchers with interest in intercultural, multicultural, syncretic and hybrid music.