Nigeria 70 - The definitive story of 1970's funky lagos

Nigeria 70 starts with Monomono's "Loma Da Nigbehin", where the groove is stepped up, the rhythm guitar emphasized, the percussion denser yet livelier, the horn and organ solos heavier-- all developments created in the wake of Fela's revolution in militant funk. Afrobeat in that familiar vein is widely covered here, both inside and outside of the Kalakuta Republic. Two of Fela's greatest Africa '70-era recordings appear in "Upside Down" and "Jeun Ko Ku (Chop 'n' Quench)", while Afrobeat's rhythmic architect and Africa '70 alumnus Tony Allen is represented by his glimmering 1980 recording "No Discrimination". And many of the highlights from less-famous musicians-- Peter King's "Shango"; Orlando Julius Ekemode's "Alo Mi Alo"; Afro Cult Foundation's "The Quest"-- take Kuti's sounds and tweak them playfully until they become a bit more concise or abstract. Trending NowThe One Song Devendra Banhart Wishes He Wrote

But what makes Nigeria 70 particularly compelling is its sonic diversity. Anyone expecting two and a half hours of music that sounds directly informed by Fela might be surprised to find out just how many musicians saw his music as a starting point than the sum of their sound. There's nods to psychedelic rock, both heavily fuzzed-out (Ofo & the Black Company's stomping, wailing "Allah Wakbarr") and Deadhead-friendly mellow (BLO's eerily beautiful reverie "Chant to Mother Earth"). A few forays into the late 1970s and early 80s note a disco influence that informs cuts like Joni Haastrup's 1977 song "Greetings" and Shina Williams & His African Percussionists' 1984 electro-funk workout "Agboju Logun" without removing their Afrobeat backbone. And if you're wondering how Parliament-Funkadelic was received in Nigeria, William Onyeabor's 1978 anti-imperialist synthesizer opus "Better Change Your Mind" is an intriguing hint. You could while away some time trying to figure out just how much or how little of it came from black music in America, and how much of black music in America actually owed to these sounds in the first place-- as cross-cultural development of pop music goes, the Nigerian sound is fascinatingly tangled. And now, even after the West African reissue glut of 2008, Nigeria 70 still sounds illuminating.

Strut reprime una de las compilaciones clásicas de todos los tiempos de Afro-funk y Afrobeat para 2016, el primer volumen de la poderosa serie Nigeria 70. Lanzado originalmente en 2001, el álbum siguió a la muerte de Fela Kuti y un interés renovado en Afrobeat original entre los asistentes más jóvenes al club. Realizado durante un viaje de tres semanas a Lagos, documentó por primera vez la época explosiva en la que las bandas nacionales fusionaron el highlife tradicional y el juju con el funk, el soul, el rock y la música disco. Junto a dos cortes de Fela Kuti, Nigeria 70 destacó la increíble musicalidad de artistas como Segun Bucknor, Joni Haastrup y su banda Monomono, Orlando Julius, el saxofonista Peter King, "Guitar Boy" Victor Uwaifo, Lijadu Sisters y el estrafalario mago del teclado William Onyeabor entre muchos otros. Repartida en 3 LP, la edición original también incluyó un documental de audio de una hora con entrevistas exclusivas con muchos músicos originales y figuras de la industria de la escena de los 70, narradas por Wunmi. Además de ser un documento valioso de una era infravalorada, Nigeria 70 fue uno de los primeros álbumes cruzados en profundizar en los archivos de música africana y comercializar de manera efectiva la música a una nueva audiencia en línea hambrienta de ritmos raros y sonidos únicos de la pista de baile. Desde Nigeria 70, este mercado se ha ampliado enormemente con sellos como Soundway, Analog Africa y Hot Casa, todos trabajando incansablemente para documentar los raros ritmos africanos. Esta nueva edición del conjunto Nigeria 70 3LP está limitada a 500 copias y presenta la versión completa en CD y el documental de audio en CD como un bono dentro del paquete. También se presentan obras de arte completas, incluido el extenso historial de notas de portada de John Armstrong junto con fotos raras.

DISCO 1
1 Tire Loma Da Nigbehin Monomono 00:04:46
2 Chant To Mother Earth BLO 00:06:07
3 Jeun Ko Ku (Chop 'N' Quench) Fela Ransome Kuti & The Africa 70 00:07:14
4 Ifa Tunji Oyelana & The Benders 00:05:00
5 Ikon Allah Bala Miller & The Great Music Pirameeds Of Afrika 00:05:46
6 La La La Segun Bucknor & His Revolution 00:03:29
7 Shango Peter King 00:05:39
8 No Discrimination Tony Allen & His Afro Messengers 00:08:19
9 Akuyan Ekassa Sir Victor Uwaifo & His Melody Maestroes 00:03:10
10 Better Change Your Mind William Onyeabor 00:08:24
11 Woman Made The Devil Bongos Ikwue 00:04:10

DISC 2
1 Alo Mi Alo (Parts 1 & 2) Orlando Julius & The Afro Sounders 00:08:04
2 Allah Wakbarr Ofo The Black Company 00:03:30
3 Enjoy Yourself Sahara All Stars Band Jos 00:05:59
4 Dancing Time The Funkees 00:03:19
5 The Quest Afro Cult Foundation 00:08:10
6 Greetings Joni Haastrup 00:06:13
7 Kita Kita Gasper Lawal 00:06:01
8 Orere Elejigbo Lijadu Sisters 00:04:14
9 Upside Down Fela Anikulapo Kuti & The Africa 70 with Sandra Akanke Isidore 00:14:42
10 Agboju Logun Shina Williams & His African Percussionists 00:11:34
11 Ja Fun Mi Instrumental Sunny Ade & His African Beats 00:07:13