African Scream Contest -- Raw & Psychedelic Afro Sounds From Benin & Togo 70s

Jeepers, another fantastic Afro-funk collection! "Raw" is right, highly energetic, you just can't sit down when this monster is being spun. Roger Damawuzan's "Wait For Me" reminded me of a voodoo Dr. John back in his Night Tripper days. Every track's a winner (my current fave is "Mi Ma Kpe Dji" by Picoby Band D'Aborney) and this whole deal needs to be turned up LOUD to be best appreciated. Crank it up at night and turn your den into a fevered funk shack.

Coming in May -I hope- from Soundway is Nigeria Rock Special: Psychedelic Afro-Rock & Fuzz Funk In 1970’s Nigeria and I can't wait for what looks like a great companion piece to the African Scream album.

quote:

Originally posted by crazed:
Picked up on a copy of Nigeria Special: Modern Highlife, Afro Sounds, & Nigerian Blues 1970 to 1976 a week or so ago. A fantastic, mind-blowing collection on Soundway records. This is one of the best compilations of Afro-beat I've heard in years. There's no weak tracks, it's all killer stuff, and mostly vocal selections (though my favorite piece is the instrumental, "Ugali" by the Tony Benson Sextet). Other top favorite numbers here include "Eme Kowa Iasa Ile Wa" by Mono Mono, "Opotopo (Easy Kabaka Brown)" by Belema, and the knock-out chiller, "Okwukwe Na Nchekwube" from Celestine Ukwu & His Philosophers National. Absolutely essential.

got this on a whim this afternoon. i figured crazed might've already gotten it looking forward to it

Nigeria Rock Special: Psychedelic Afro-Rock & Fuzz Funk In 1970’s Nigeria arrived yesterday, but I haven't heard it yet.


Black Stars – Ghana’s Hiplife Generation is a fantastic collection I picked up through Forced Exposure. Ok, it's not pure Afro-funk. Hiplife is a music genre found in Ghana. Mostly a mix of hiphop and highlife but also reggae, dancehall and Afro-funk. I've been playing this cd over the last couple days and lovin' the rhythms and beats. Sheriff Ghale's "Illusions" is Afro-reggae while "Kangaroo" from Tic Tac & Batman Samini leans towards dancehall. My favorite track by a mile is Afroganic (with Malaika)'s "Yanni", followed by Nkasei & Reggie Rockstone's "Edua Neb U" (Rockstone is Godfather of Hiplife). Happy I found this monster album to groove to, yeah it ain't Afro-funk but it has killer Afro beats and it needs pluggin' somewhere.

The debut album from Seun Kuti, Many Things, is very nice. Seun is the youngest son of Fela, and half-brother to Femi. The album was recorded with Fela's Egypt 80 band. The comparisons to Fela is obvious as the album starts, though Seun's own style emerges mid-album with "Fire Dance”. Good stuff.

quote:

Originally posted by crazed:
The debut album from Seun Kuti, Many Things, is very nice. Seun is the youngest son of Fela, and half-brother to Femi. The album was recorded with Fela's Egypt 80 band. The comparisons to Fela is obvious as the album starts, though Seun's own style emerges mid-album with "Fire Dance”. Good stuff.

Thanks!

Kaleta & Zozo Afrobeat is a New York Afro-funk band (though Kaleta is African born & raised and toured with Fela and King Sunny Ade) and their debut album together is Country Of Guns. So far it's only available on vinyl (but that's okay, it sounds fantastic). There's a needless (though fun) cover of "Get Up" which is followed by 3 long originals, "Baba Nla Iya", "Shake Your Nyansh", and "Fimile". "Shake Your Nyansh" is my favorite but there's no lack of great rhythms and Afro (funk & jazz) beats on the album.

Now groovin' to "Mukuba", a hypnotic funky track off the third and latest in the Congotronics series. The band is the Kasai All Stars (from the Congo) and their album is In the 7th Moon, The Chief Turned Into a Swimming Fish and Ate the Head of His Enemy by Magic. Great rhythms abound and I love all the different instruments performed (resonator drums, likembe, lokole, xylophone, etc) and the results of how they are perfomed- absolutely awesome. My favorite track may be "Mbu A Matumba"- can't help dancin' the floor off it's foundation on this one. Check 'em out- Kasai All Stars Myspace