There is a striking variance between the sounds of highlife music recorded in the 1950s and 1960s and that of the 1970s. This difference can be attributed partly to the advancement of recording technology, a shift from shellac to vinyl records as well as the advent of multi-track tape recorders in Ghana. The 1970s had a unique highlife sound that can be situated within and explained by the socio-cultural context of recording approaches embraced by studio engineers. This paper investigates the technological approaches to the production of highlife songs at the Ghana Film Studio (GFS) and how they reshaped the highlife soundscape in the 1970s. It also draws attention to the influence of Francis Kwakye, the then resident recording engineer of GFS as a case study to explore highlife sound on records within this period. Employing document review, audio review, observations and interview for data collection, the paper reveals that the engineering techniques and tools employed on the recordings were socio-culturally influenced and constructed to resonate with the Ghanaian identity of the time. It further argues that the recording activities have been guided largely by a new imagination of the highlife sound recordings framed within a certain Ghanaian nationalistic context. The paper concludes that the methods employed to record highlife music of the 1970s were masterminded essentially from a Ghanaian socio-cultural sound perspective.

中文翻译：

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1970 年代加纳的高端录音：Francis Kwakye 和加纳电影制片厂的遗产

1950 年代和 1960 年代录制的高端音乐的声音与 1970 年代录制的音乐之间存在显着差异。这种差异部分归因于录音技术的进步、从虫胶到黑胶唱片的转变以及加纳多轨磁带录音机的出现。1970 年代有一种独特的高品质声音，可以位于录音室工程师所采用的录音方法的社会文化背景中并由其解释。本文研究了加纳电影制片厂 (GFS) 制作高调歌曲的技术方法，以及它们如何重塑 1970 年代的高调音景。它还提请注意当时 GFS 的常驻录音工程师 Francis Kwakye 的影响，作为案例研究，探索这一时期唱片中的高品质声音。采用文件审查，音频审查、观察和采访数据收集，该论文揭示了录音中使用的工程技术和工具受到社会文化的影响，并与当时的加纳人身份产生共鸣。它进一步认为，录音活动主要是由对加纳民族主义背景下的高端录音的新想象引导的。该论文的结论是，用于录制 1970 年代高调音乐的方法基本上是从加纳社会文化声音的角度策划的。它进一步认为，录音活动主要是由对加纳民族主义背景下的高品质录音的新想象引导的。该论文的结论是，用于录制 1970 年代高调音乐的方法基本上是从加纳社会文化声音的角度策划的。它进一步认为，录音活动主要是由对加纳民族主义背景下的高品质录音的新想象引导的。该论文的结论是，用于录制 1970 年代高调音乐的方法基本上是从加纳社会文化声音的角度策划的。