Grateful for the invitation, I headed to African Chillout on a warm autumn afternoon in Melrose Park to soak up the vibe. 
 
Set up in the performer's residential back yard, seating was arranged on the lawn, nestled against tall shrubbery, with a dance floor mapped out by rugs on the ground between where the seating ended and the stage began. The mini festival scene was offset by a couple of stalls to the rear selling African wares including ornaments and clothing. Proceeds from the stalls were donated to an organisation helping Manadi's home village of Tumu in upper western Ghana. 
 
Scheduled to start at 4pm, the music started late due to a delay in the arrival of one of the performers. This gave a bit more time to browse, and the picnic vibe meant that most people were unfazed, chatting to others in their bubble: we are still living within the restrictions of COVID, after all. 
 
The quartet opened with Manadi performing a song by his favourite singer: One Love by Bob Marley. This would be the only cover song during the concert, with Manadi and his band performing original songs thereafter including his current track, Be Happy. 
 
With smooth bass and percussion to die for, Manadi and his quartet took us on a rhythmic journey with some very danceable beats that had plenty of feet tapping and bodies swaying. The highlight of the first set was a song Manadi wrote in his own dialect, Sissala. Berri Ka Iyerra, translated as "what's your name?" caught everyone's interest as we did our best to wrap our mouths around the unfamiliar words. Placards with the words floated about the audience and were raised in the air as Manadi sung the them, encouraging everyone to have a go which, of course, we did. 
 
Music is a great field of common ground where everyone can connect, regardless of language, background or ability. All of Manadi's originals that afternoon touched the audience, who were clearly enjoying the music as much as the musicians enjoyed playing it for us. Look out over coming months for Manadi's song releases on Spotify as he proudly presents his work to the world. 
 
Time melts away at Manadi Lopa's African chillout experience. Take a rug and a comfy cushion and don't book anything else afterwards – you'll want to carry the vibe well into your evening. 

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Manadi Lopa started life in North-West Africa, and is now based in Adelaide creating music of world standard and with a special meaning. 

Manadi chatted to me about his music, the concert, and how it will help in his mission to preserve his mother tongue, Sissala within the event that features Afircan Zongo and Roots Reggae music. 

In a world first, Manadi is putting Sissala words to music, and will be teaching the audience the lyrics of one of these songs to connect them with his home language, which is fighting for survival.
 
For the full interview, head to That Entertainment Podcast.