Studio Bonaparte From The Archives #002: The Kumasi Sessions

With „From The Archives #002 -The Kumasi Sessions“, Studio Bonaparte (the alter ego of Tobias Jundt, better known to most as Bonaparte) presents what might be his most personal and unconventional work yet. Written, produced, and recorded in Kumasi, Ghana, alongside producer and drummer Max Weißenfeldt. Together they teamed up with local musicians Ammanuel Amoako, Emmanuel Tetteh, TI, Adu Berks, and the voices of singers Mama Esther, Felicitas Andoh and Nana Adwoa. The LP unites two seemingly distant worlds: the joyous pulse of West African Highlife music and the Swiss dialect called Bärndütsch (also known as „Mundart“) of Jundt’s earliest linguistic and musical memories.
For Jundt, music has always meant “travel” - from childhood daydreams scored in his imagination, to teenage pilgrimages across Europe in pursuit of jazz heroes, and later, years of relentless rock ’n’ roll touring as BONAPARTE. His album „Was Mir Passiert“ (2019, Columbia Records) recorded in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, unexpectedly foreshadowed another journey both inward and outward - toward Kumasi, the heart of highlife, and toward his mother tongue, Bärndütsch. The Kumasi Sessions marks the first time Jundt has sung in the language of his earliest perception of songwriting - the very language of the records of his childhood, the songs penned and sung by his father Werner Jundt (Release: “Werner Jundt - Berner Chansons 1967–1975”).
Kumasi - Ku-ma-si - Uhh, Ahh, Ihh. Just the name itself is music. Today the capital of the Ashanti Kingdom under the mighty Osei Tutu II, the city was once known as the City of Gardens. But Kumasi has another title, one earned through rhythm: it is the kingdom of highlife. It is precisely this spirit that pulses through the record. Drummer, producer, and label owner Max Weißenfeldt’s deep curiosity and passion for highlife music drew him to Kumasi, the genre’s historic heart. After years of involvement in the Ghanaian music scene, he relocated there in 2019, deeply inspired by the local culture and dedicated to supporting its vibrant musical talent. It was this spirit of open invitation and collaboration that led to the genesis of the project.
It all started with Weißenfeldt’s invite: “Tobias, come visit me in Kumasi and I'll put you in my living room with a few musicians and we'll see what happens...” And so, songs came alive in spontaneous living‑room sessions. Back in Berlin, long‑time Bonaparte collaborators Jason Liebert, Florian Menzel and Bastian Duncker added brass, while Jundt stitched in his trademark layers of analog synths, blending immediacy with reflection.
„From The Archives #002 - The Kumasi Sessions“ is more than a meeting of styles. It is a declaration of love - to Kumasi and its exuberant musical kingdom, to Bern and its local language and to the timeless spirit of experimentation, collaboration and exploration across genres and past boundaries or conventions.