Tony Allen - Film Of Life

 

Some artists require no introduction. Others can boast of achievements worthy of household status, but remain instantly recognisable to enthusiasts only. Despite high profile collaborations with Damon Albarn, a key role with the Africa Express project and a string of acclaimed recent solo albums, Tony Allen remains in the latter category.

This is a somewhat unfair state of affairs, considering Allen's accomplishments. As Fela Kuti's drummer and bandleader of the legendary Africa 70 orchestra, Allen was essential to the creation of Afrobeat. Following the huge success of Fela! the musical, this superhumanly funky stew of polyrhythmic hypnosis that infused the hypnotic repetition of prime James Brown with limber High Life grooves, traditional Nigerian rhythms and the improvisation-friendly looseness of Jazz is nearer to the mainstream than ever before. As recent documentary Finding Fela attests (Allen features prominently), Fela was hardly the epitome of humility, but even he acknowledged just how crucial Allen's impossibly dexterous beats were in the creation of Kuti's most celebrated works.

Considering the upgrade in the profile of the late serial scourge of Nigeria's corrupted military regimes and, consequently, the sublimely vibrant protest music he and Allen created following the recent Fela-fests on stage and screen, now would be the ideal time to unleash a nostalgia-tinged trip through the back pages of Afrobeat. However, the retro vibes of backwards-gazing opener "Moving On" are a bit of a red herring. With this musical career summary and introduction to the album out of the way, Film of Life is largely about, er, moving on. For example, the societal concerns of "Boat Journey" - a passionate warning against placing your life in the hands of ruthless people traffickers in an almost certainly hopeless quest of a better life - are in line with the contents of Allen's great early solo albums, but the track's slinky, minimalist bounce strays far from their relatively conventional Afrobeat settings.

Stylistically, there might not be all that much linking (mostly) instrumentals such as the fantastically frantic "Ewa" - gaze in awe at how Allen's loose yet metronome-tight fills fit seamlessly with the central riff - and "Koko Dance"'s updating of High Life's calls to the floor to, say, the melancholy drift of the sublime "Go Back" (with Allen's The Good, The Bad & The Queen and Rocket Juice and The Moon bandmate Albarn on vocals and co-writing duties). However, Allen's superlative drumming, utterly undimmed by the passing years, is idiosyncratic enough to tie all the disparate elements, guest vocalists and stylistic shifts into a seamless bunch: you'll know whose albums it is as soon as the beat kicks in, and the drum kit is rarely silent.

Not that Film of Life is about showcasing Allen's obvious virtuosity. Allen doesn't indulge in anything as obviously showing-off as drum solos. Then again, he doesn't really have to: the rhythms propelling these tracks are multilayered to the point where you'd swear each limb was working to a different time signature; a master-class display in unimaginable skill employed in the service of a greater good: the groove. Add this to a uniformly strong set of tunes and it’s clear that at 74, Allen has created one of his defining statements.

thelineofbestfit.com 

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Tony Allen was instrumental in the creation of Afrobeat together with Fela Kuti. His rhythmic Yoruba patterns perfectly complementing Kuti’s instrumental funk and Pan-African Slogans. Their collaboration would last 15 years before Allen broke off into new musical territory covering diverse genres from dub to pop. Over the years he has worked with artists such as Charlotte Gainsbourg, Sebastian Telier and Joe Lovano.

The most fruitful partnership to emerge was with Damon Albarn. They met in London in 2003 and this led to the pair collaborating on the track ‘Every Season’ for Allen’s album “Homecooking”. Since then they have worked together in The Good, The Bad and The Queen, Africa Express and Rocket Juice and the Moon (alongside Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist, Flea). Albarn describes Allen to be “the greatest drummer in the world”.

“Film of life” is Allen’s tenth album and features a cast of world class musicians including Albarn who plays Melodica on “Tiger Skip” and co-wrote and performed “Go Back”. The album brings together bebop, afrobeat jazz and psychedelic pop. Allen entrusted the production to a trio of young French musicians known as The Jazzbastard having heard their work with Malian rapper Oxmo Puccino and Canadian-Haitian singer Melissa Laveaux. The result is a stunning long-lasting album with a rich, varied, Technicolor soundscape. On the opener “Moving On” Allen recalls each of his previous albums depicting his spirit of endurance and powers of reinvention. Elsewhere on “The Boat Journey” and “Go Back”, Allen explores themes of exile and displacement whilst “Ire Omo”, “Koko Dance” and “Insider” pay homage to Africa and its rich cultural and spiritual heritage.

The album is a great addition to an already amazing career and it is impressive that even after all these years Allen is still innovating and not simply sitting back on his laurels.

somethingyousaid.com 

Tony Allen’s Film of Life showcases the influential 70-year old Afrobeat drummer still in prime form.  This album, composed and performed by Allen and a rotating roster of crack musicians and produced by the French trio The Jazzbastards, has any number of fresh sounds for listeners as the band explores a variety of musical styles, from funky Afrobeat to Philly soul.  This marks yet another solid release from an established artist in the process of renewing his career and artistic vision with the Jazz Village label, an imprint that has released several high-quality albums from veteran musicians in 2014. - See more at: http://blackgrooves.org/tony-allen-film-of-life/#sthash.fOURUmgF.dpuf

Tony Allen’s Film of Life showcases the influential 70-year old Afrobeat drummer still in prime form. This album, composed and performed by Allen and a rotating roster of crack musicians and produced by the French trio The Jazzbastards, has any number of fresh sounds for listeners as the band explores a variety of musical styles, from funky Afrobeat to Philly soul. This marks yet another solid release from an established artist in the process of renewing his career and artistic vision with the Jazz Village label, an imprint that has released several high-quality albums from veteran musicians in 2014.
 
With Allen─a student of bebop, funk, Afrobeat, and other musical sounds of the African Diaspora (and longtime member of Feta Kuli’s band)─on the drum set, this record is full of infectious grooves throughout; when it seems as though the pocket can get no deeper, Allen and company find innovative ways to dig a bit further into a song’s polyrhythmic structure.  Eclectic as always, Allen and his band traipse through a number of musical styles throughout the course of this album, providing a nuanced treatment of each particular number and unlocking each song’s full potential.  A dramatic horn section on “Moving On” punctuates straight-ahead Afrobeat grooves, while a hypnotic bass ostinato underscores the tastefully layered arrangement of “Boat Journey.” “Ire Omo” hearkens to the days when James Brown was arguably the single most important force in the music of the African Diaspora, combining the driving dual-guitar, horn riff approach of the JBs with multipart harmony group vocals. Allen even dabbles in styles less in line with his signature Afrobeat-jazz-funk blend, collaborating with former Blur and Gorillaz singer Damon Albarn, who contributes a melodica solo on “Tiger’s Skip” and lead vocal and piano on the Philly soul-meets-My Morning Jacket number “Go Back.”

Film of Life contains some of the same conceptual and politically conscious material that defines much of Allen’s prior work; however, he delivers these conceptual threads through the means of dance-friendly party grooves. This is in contrast to releases such as Black Voices (1999), an album that experiments heavily with electronic music, or Home Cooking (2002), which might best be described as a rap-meets-roots endeavor, both of which seem to let the musical material be defined by the concepts.  Film of Life channels both Allen’s interest in experimental textures (with synthesizers and computer-generated effects appearing prominently throughout the record) and his interest in a Diasporic musical conversation into a well-rounded set of concise, danceable, and effective grooves, largely letting the music do most of the talking.

This song-driven approach pervades the record.  Even though Allen, the bandleader, is a drummer, there are no extended solos; as no particular sense of lyrical conceptualism drives this album, neither does virtuosity.  Rather, Allen and company let the music happen, finding grooves and exploring them in deep and challenging ways.  This simultaneously sophisticated and funky record is not to be missed by any fan of Allen’s prior work, any musician who wants to deepen their understanding of where “the pocket” really is, or any listener who likes to get out on the dance floor.

Reviewed by Matthew Alley@blackgrooves.org

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Femi and Seun Kuti are the heirs to their late father Fela’s King of Afrobeat crown. Right? Of course. Well, except…the crown hasn’t been up for grabs. Tony Allen was there from the music’s beginning, a creative partner/confidant of Fela starting in mid-‘60s Lagos. He wasn’t just the drummer in the crucial Africa 70 band. He was co-architect of a sound that endures today as strongly as ever. The crown is his, and on his his new album, Film of Life, he wears it in style.

It’s not because the music sounds like Fela. It’s because of the ways in which it does not. Yes, there is classic Afrobeat here—the punchy horns and female singers of opening song “Moving On” are legacy elements. But the song title is telling. Allen, now 74, is not done moving on, moving forward, which is in the truest spirit of his old boss/friend. Fela never wanted to recreate the past. Heck, there are plenty of bands around the world recreating it today.

Film of Life, in contrast, is every bit the work of someone who has collaborated not just with Fela, but with Blur’s Damon Albarn, the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Flea, jazz frontiersman Archie Shepp, French electronicist Sebastien Tellier, and Charlotte Gainsbourg, to name a few. In 2006 he teamed with Albarn, Paul Simonon of the Clash, and Simon Tong of the Verve to record as the Good, the Bad and the Queen. Two years ago he, Albarn, and Flea worked together as Rocketjuice and the Moon.
Produced by French trio the Jazzbastards, Film of Life sparkles and crackles with unexpected combinations of styles and sounds at every turn. “Moving On” starts at the core: Allen’s mix of interlocking rhythms establishes a foundation to support ultra-funky horns. (His sometime-nickname, the Human Metronome, doesn’t even hint at the complexities of his playing and very human touch he possesses.) Next, “Boat Journey” builds with a skittering guitar line and cinematic touches like dramatic tympani, as Allen speak-sings a cautionary tale warning that those “running away from misery” will confront themselves and find “double misery.”

“Tiger’s Skip,” co-written by Albarn and featuring him on melodica, has some of the dub atmosphere the British artist has used with Gorillaz. “Ewa” conjures a jazzy ‘70s film soundtrack vibe, an intricate construction spiked by Vincent Taeger’s vibes. “Go Back” features Albarn on vocals in an introspective soul turn. “Ire Omo” brings in female singers Adunni and Nefretiti for a classic Afrobeat sound.

afropop.org 

Tony Allen’s Film of Life showcases the influential 70-year old Afrobeat drummer still in prime form.  This album, composed and performed by Allen and a rotating roster of crack musicians and produced by the French trio The Jazzbastards, has any number of fresh sounds for listeners as the band explores a variety of musical styles, from funky Afrobeat to Philly soul.  This marks yet another solid release from an established artist in the process of renewing his career and artistic vision with the Jazz Village label, an imprint that has released several high-quality albums from veteran musicians in 2014. - See more at: http://blackgrooves.org/tony-allen-film-of-life/#sthash.fOURUmgF.dpuf

 

South Africa: Jazz from District Six

LINER NOTES

True Jazz today is becoming a rare art whose existence depends not only on the Jazz-musician but also on the medium by means of which it is propagated. This album is the combined effort of musician and Trutone Record Company to add their contribution to the interest of the arts. The theme for this album is set in "District Six", the community which brought forth "The Four Sounds".

Side one

A SEVEN STEPS LAMENT 6.32
Composed by Clifford Moses (Guitarist). This number describes a historic spot in the heart of this district. Although presenting a peaceful facade this spot is frequently the scene of gang warfare.

B INTERIM 5.06
Composed by Richard Schilder. This work expresses the composer's feelings of the interruption into the lives of people residing in this area.

C KATRINA 3.15
Composers R. Davids and G. Lang. The vocal is warmly done by the group's guitarist Clifford Moses (This song was written for the film Katrina, but never submitted).

Side Two

A UP FROM SLAVERY 7.11
Composer Basil Moses (Bassist). This theme describes the struggle of the people of District Six to free themselves from the old traditions of slavery.

B WELLS SQUARE 4.53
Composer Clifford Moses. This once notorious place (not in existence anymore) is still remembered by the elder people.

C DON'T CLOSE YOUR EYES 1.50
Composers Davids and Lang. This song provides Clifford with another vehicle for jazz vocal. The meter is 3/4 with four bars of the bridge in 4/4.

D THE (GOEMA) DANCE 2.30
Composer Clifford Moses. This dance which has its origin in District Six, is used to express "gam" a type of jazz peculiar to this district.


The Four Sounds have been together for over 10 years and the jazz on this album show-cases not only the unique sound and style of the group as a whole, but also the artistry and individuality of each of the musicians. The Four Sounds are a credit to the jazz scene in South Africa. This is their debut album and let's hope that we'll be hearing a lot more from them.

GILBERT LANG

Originally published by flatinternational.org!

Fela Kuti and the Africa Shrine

There are scores of famous venues around the world. They have their lore, their history, their famous nights, their famous bands. All of these places are important and relevant. History is not a competition; this is not an article about the best venue. This is just the story of one venue, built for the sole reason of providing one man a pulpit to stick it to a string of dictators in one of the most politically volatile countries in the world. Well maybe that’s an overstatement. Maybe it wasn’t built for the sole reason of sticking it to a dictator. It was also built as a place for a new sound to be born, to grow, and to transform a country and a continent. Consequently, it was also a place for people to shake a lot of ass. To sweat into the morning. And to dance a few guns to silence.

The social and political climate of Nigeria is as hot as its summers. Africa’s most populous state is home to over 250 ethnic groups and over 500 living languages; there is a Muslim population split between majority Sunni and minority Shia and a Christian population equal parts Catholic and Protestant. Among them are myriad indigenous religions and a smattering of Hindus, Jews, Bahai, Krishnas and other religions.

Unifying a nation this diverse comes at best with complications, at worse with severe tragedies: since Independence from British colonial rule in 1960 Nigeria has been subject to numerous military coups and a 30 month civil war which ended in 1970 saw the death of up to 3 million people. After 1970, enough oil was discovered in Niger delta to make Nigeria the world’s 8th largest exporter of oil, a blessing to some extent, but a naturally double edged sword as the power oil brings creates a vacuum that leaves in its wake a host of human rights abuses and social problems, especially in politically fragile states. As a result, military rule endured for the next 30 years. It was a rule which saw numerous generals under numerous coups in a country where the careers of dissenters often ended at the end of a rope.

In one of its most famous cases, writer and Ogoni activist, Ken Saro Wiwa was executed in 1995 for his outspoken voice against Shell and its collusion with the Nigerian military in human rights abuses and environmental degradation on Ogon land. His judicial murder was met with international condemnation. Nelson Mandela called it a heinous act.

But Saro-Wiwa was not Nigeria’s loudest activist and government critic.

Not by a long shot.

It was not Chinua Achebe, author of the great African novel ‘Things Fall Apart’. It was not even Africa’s first Nobel Laureate, Wole Soyinka.

To qualify as a the loudest and most popular anti-government critic in a country as volatile as Nigeria, you would first have find your pulpit. To do so would require you to forego your overseas training as a doctor and choose instead to become a musician. So that people would gather at your pulpit, you would then have to pioneer a music style that would be known around the world and long outlive you. Following or during this near-impossible feat, you would then carve out a small plot of communal land for your band and your studio and you would declare to your military rulers that your land and your musical pulpit is independent from their rule. You would then strip away any references to slave or European references from your name and marry 27 women.

Your music would accomplish what no government could. You would unite a diverse Nigerian population on a hot dance floor in Lagos while a very large band played very long songs that would leave spectators a sweaty mess by morning. During the night, your audience would hear you rip into the government, calling officials out by name for their corruption, and calling on your audience for action and social justice for the poor. Your music would be such a threat to the power of a men who rule with machine guns and intimidation that to stop you they would have to send a thousand soldiers to burn down your commune with all of your instruments in it, beat you to near death, rape the women of the commune, and throw your mother out of a second storey window. In an act of protest you would deliver your mother’s coffin to the doorstep of the nation’s dictator. Despite the fact that you would see the inside of a Nigerian courtroom over 350 times, or face years of imprisonment on bogus charges, you would never stop playing music.

Your music would be called Afrobeat, a polyrhythmic big band blend of traditional Yoruba music with highlife, jazz and funk, and your name would be Fela Kuti. Your pulpit, your place of musical worship where all of this would go down would be known simply as the Africa Shrine.

Fela Kuti is dead. That is to say, his corporeal presence on earth has ended. Rightly so, perhaps, because the place of men with courage like this is not among mere mortals. But his music plays on and his musical bloodline continues through the music of his sons Femi and Seun, themselves critically acclaimed Afrobeat stars.

The Africa Shrine is gone. That is to say, the physical presence of Fela’s original political pulpit burned to the ground by soldiers (although the official Nigerian word is that a single ‘unknown soldier’ committed the arson) is gone. But it’s a venue whose political and musical legacy lives on. Under the guidance of Femi Kuti, The New Africa Shrine was opened in Lagos not long after Fela’s AIDS-related death in 1997. Afrobeat still pounds through the speakers of the New Africa Shrine, and like its predecessor it remains under the watchful eye of the government which has attempted, for dubious reasons, to close it. Though located in a different part of Lagos than the original, The New Africa Shrine, much like the old, remains the spiritual center of the defiant music that permeated Africa and beyond, and a rallying point for activists in Nigeria today.

Songs are not always political, but music is. The music of the New Africa Shrine may not always contain in them the vehement anti-government diatribes of Fela Kuti but the danger to Nigeria’s rulers, or the rulers of any country for that matter are as real as ever. Because when Christians, Muslims, and Jews, or Indigenous Africans and non-Africans share a dance floor, differences erode, and a danger far worse than guns presents itself to those in power.

“Dance your anger and your joys,
Dance the military guns to silence,
Dance oppression and injustice to death,
Dance my people,
For we have seen tomorrow
And there is an Ogoni star in the sky.”
– Ken Saro-Wiwa

Earlier this year Strut records released Fela Kuti – Live in Detroit ’86, the first “official” formerly unreleased Fela Kuti album since Underground System in 1992. Read icrates review HERE.

Originally published by 

icrates.org

Demos Deniran And The Luko Resurgento ‎– Face To Face (get it) (by orogod)

 

The LP was recorded in 1980 with The Luko Resurgento band. It is deep and hypnotic afrobeat music. I love it, every tracks are particularly great.

 

Thanx to orogod.blogspot 

for sharing this album: GET IT!

 

 

Tracklist

 

A1	Face To Face
A2	Agidimalaja
B1	Sege
B2	Olo Fofo

 

 

 

From Great Britain: Kalakuta Millionaires

BIOGRAPHY

With members hailing from Kenya, Tanzania, Ghana, Malaysia, Italy and the UK, Kalakuta Millionaires is a truly global mix of musicians who draw on influences from jazz, funk, soul and world music.

Following live recordings for Mark Lamarr at BBC Maida Vale studios, the band has performed to thousands, headlining stages at Glastonbury Festival, Latitude Festival, Secret Garden Party, Waterford Spraoi, Sunrise Festival and many more.

THE MUSIC

Tanzanian/ Kenyan vocalist Siggi Mwasote has generated her own unique lyrical style, giving a fresh funk-soul twist to the traditional African aesthetic. Many of the lyrics are written in a mixture of Swahili and English and the unique female-led perspective is communicated passionately through the music. This is particularly reflected in their song Yansan, written about the fate of women and children in Charles Taylor’s Liberia, and Bata Boy, written about homophobia in the Afro-Caribbean music scene.

The band draw on a wide range of influences in their writing, taking the listener on a musical journey which references jazz, funk, soul and world music. A heavy underbelly of rhythm and bass underpins a horn section blistering with soul, whilst jazz-drenched guitar riffs merge seamlessly into highlife and funk. A truly polyrhythmic percussion section of four congas, percussion rack and hand held percussion brings in East and West African, Cuban and Brazilian influences.
The band cite their musical influences as The Lijadu Sisters, ESG, James Brown, Ernest Ranglin, Oscar Sulley, Fela Kuti and Orlando ‘Cachaito’ Lopez.

KALA–what?!
The word ‘kalakuta’ translates as ‘rascally’ in vocalist Siggi Mwasote’s mother tongue of Swahili. It is also a nod to Fela Kuti’s compound in Nigeria, the Kalakuta Republic, where the ethos was very much anti-establishment – as was the attitude towards music-making:

“Fela contended that AfroBeat was a modern form of danceable, African classical music with an urgent message for the planet’s denizens. Created out of a cross-breeding of Funk, Jazz, Salsa and Calypso with Juju, Highlife and African percussive patterns, it was to him a political weapon.” www.fela.net

… so the name Kalakuta Millionaires literally means ‘rascally rich’ – which can be interpreted as a political statement regarding globalisation, or simply that this renegade crew break all the rules with their wealth of musical styles.



kalakutamillionaires.com

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Kalakuta Millionaires license their self-titled debut album to The Big Chill Label.

Ok there’s good news and then there’s stratospherically brilliant news and the signing of Kalakuta Millionaires to The Big Chill Label is up there with the stars. Rarely has a band been better suited to a label, Kalakuta Millionaires pretty much sum up the original spirit of The Big Chill, which was always about free creative expression and the mashing up of musical genres.

The band started out in the summer of 2008 and by 2009 had been invited to record a live session at BBC Maida Vale studio. Since then they have carved a reputation for themselves as one of the finest live acts to come out of the UK. The band’s line up consists of some of the finest Jazz, Latin, Funk and African musicians rocking these shores. They draw on a wide range of influences, inspired by giants like Fela Kuti, James Brown, Ernest Ranglin, Oscar Sulley and Orlando ‘Cachaito’ Lopez as well as the likes of The Lijadu Sisters and ESG. Tanzanian/Kenyan vocalist Siggi Mwasote has her own unique vocal style, giving a fresh funk-soul twist on the traditional Latino/African aesthetic. Combined with dubbed up bass and rhythms, a horn section blistering with soul, jazz-drenched guitars that melt into highlife, funk and one of the most polyrhythmic percussion sections this side of Lagos and you have one utterly irresistible musical proposition.

Kalakuta Millionaires have a strong belief that music has no enemies, borders or religion and strive to promote equality through music. This is reflected in songs like ‘Yansan’ written about the fate of women and children in Charles Taylor’s Liberia and ‘Bata Boy’ written to counter homophobia in the Afro-Caribbean music scene.

‘Kalakuta’ literally means ‘rascally’ in lead singer Siggi’s mother tongue Swahili. It is als a nod to Fela Kuti’s compound in Nigeria, the ‘Kalakuta Republic’ that had an anti-establishment ethos that also summed up fusion based approach to making music. So the Kalakuta Millionaires translates as ‘rascally rich’, which could be a political statement against globalization or the sensibility of a renegade Afro Orchestra drawing on a wealth of musical styles. Either way, following the limited initial self-release of previous recordings, which attracted plays on Radio 2 (via Mark Lamarr), 6 Music (via Craig Charles), Afrobase (totallyradio.com) and support from the likes of Russ Dewbury and 4Hero, the band are now ready for a global audience (with US partnerships in place). The first single is currently being remixed for release this summer with the album to follow just ahead of their UK and European tour. So prepare yourselves for the red hot Kalakuta Millionaires blazing away at a venue near you. Unstoppable.

wearebigchill.com 
 
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Kalakuta Millionaires are a band rich in rhythm and loaded with attitude. They draw on a wide range of musical influences, inspired by musical giants such as Fela Kuti, James Brown, Ernest Ranglin, Oscar Sulley and Orlando ‘Cachaito’ Lopez, as well as hidden gems such as The Lijadu Sisters and ESG.

Following live recordings for BBC Maida Vale studios in 2009, they have carved out a reputation as one of the most dynamic live acts to come out of the UK. Drawing together some of the UK’s finest Jazz, Funk, African and Latin musicians, the band has performed to thousands of people and headlined stages at some of the best festivals and venues in the country. With airtime on BBC Radio 2 and BBC 6 Music, KM tunes have been played on Craig Charles’ Funk & Soul Show, Mark Lamarr’s God’s Jukebox, Russ Dewbury’s Jazz Rooms show and John Warr’s Afrobase show.

KM have a strong belief that music has no enemies, no borders and no religion, and passionately strive to promote equality through music. This is particularly reflected in their song Yansan, written about the fate of women and children in Charles Taylor’s Liberia, and Bata Boy, written about homophobia in the Afro-Caribbean music scene.

Tanzanian/ Kenyan vocalist Siggi Mwasote has generated her own unique lyrical style, giving a fresh funk-soul twist to the traditional Latino/ African aesthetic. A heavy underbelly of dubbed up rhythm and bass underpins a horn section blistering with soul, whilst jazz-drenched guitar riffs merge seamlessly into highlife and funk. All this, plus one of the most polyrhythmic percussion sections this side of Lagos!

The band’s debut album is out on global release via the Big Chill Label, and their second album is set for Spring 2014 in collaboration with renowned producer Nick Faber.

minglemusic.co.uk 

Tracklist
 
1. Kubadili 06:14
2. Feel Free 07:02
3. Ye Ye Minyoro 06:24
4. Agbadza 03:37
5. Akumpaye Too Bad 07:08
6. Funky Nassau 03:58
7. Water No Get Enemy 08:16
8. Olufeme 05:28
9. Para Cachaito 06:43

 

From France: Afro Social Club - Sittin' On A Bomb

Afro Social Club is a french collective of 9 musicians gathered around Fela Kuti's legacy.

We all share the same passion for afrobeat and its most recent declensions, building our own music, in the name of the groove and spirit of this powerful sound.

Check out here or here! 

Tracklist

1. Road Runner 08:42 

2. Aynalem 05:32 

3. The Cast 07:38 

4. Soyinka 06:09 

5. Agbaja 06:29 

6. YWBB 06:02 

7. King Bill 09:09

Pierre Antoine - Kalabuley Woman

Hot Casa Records reissues one of the best Afrobeat albums in history, containing two obscure and incredible tracks. Kalabuley Woman was composed by Pierre Antoine, an Ivorian artist supported by 15 band members, including the legendary Sammy Cropper on guitar, and Lola Everett on vocals. This fantastic album was recorded in Accra (Ghana) in 1977 and produced on the Ivory Coast by the famous label Papa Disco. Ahui Ngoran Marcel aka Pierre Antoine was born in 1951 in Aboisso, a city situated at 117 km from Abidjan, in the south-east part of the Ivory Coast, close to the Ghanaian border. His name Pierre Antoine is a direct tribute to the French artist "Antoine," as he loved to wear his hair long and had a cool, stylish jacket. In 1977 he settled down in Ghana where he discovered the most influential and prolific Afro-soul scene, and started to work with Pat Thomas, his wife Lola Everett, and the famous guitar player Sammy Cropper. During this period, you can hear the musical evolution of the artist, when he got really close to the Afrobeat arrangement and the Pan-African scene. The musical arrangements on this album are amazing and unique and include a hypnotic piano and a fantastic horn section. A must-have and a simply classic Afro-soul album.

forcedexposure.com 

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Deep and obscure Afrobeat from the always on point Hot Casa Records. Originally from the Ivory Coast, Pierre Antoine was born Ahui Ngoran Marcel and ended up naming himself after a French artist who went by Antoine. He drew inspiration from international pop music, specifically James Brown and French singer Johnny Hallyday. After traveling and performing throughout the early 70s, Antoine settled down in Ghana. There he became ensconced in the influential and prolific Afro Soul scene and started to work with Pat Thomas, his wife Lolla Everett, and Sammy Cropper. He developed an Afrobeat sound and released Kalabuley Woman on Papa-Disco in 1977. Both the title track and "Ye Man Noun" feature the looping rhythms characteristic of the best of Fela Kuti. "Ye Man Noun" might be the heavier of the two, but both cuts deliver where it counts. Kalabuley Woman has been hard to find since it was first released. Thankfully Hot Casa has seen fit to reissue the album today. - See more at: http://turntablelab.com/products/pierre-antoine-kalabuley-woman-vinyl-lp#sthash.L4W5COBK.dpuf

Deep and obscure Afrobeat from the always on point Hot Casa Records. Originally from the Ivory Coast, Pierre Antoine was born Ahui Ngoran Marcel and ended up naming himself after a French artist who went by Antoine. He drew inspiration from international pop music, specifically James Brown and French singer Johnny Hallyday. After traveling and performing throughout the early 70s, Antoine settled down in Ghana. There he became ensconced in the influential and prolific Afro Soul scene and started to work with Pat Thomas, his wife Lolla Everett, and Sammy Cropper. He developed an Afrobeat sound and released Kalabuley Woman on Papa-Disco in 1977. Both the title track and "Ye Man Noun" feature the looping rhythms characteristic of the best of Fela Kuti. "Ye Man Noun" might be the heavier of the two, but both cuts deliver where it counts. Kalabuley Woman has been hard to find since it was first released. Thankfully Hot Casa has seen fit to reissue the album today. - See more at: http://turntablelab.com/products/pierre-antoine-kalabuley-woman-vinyl-lp#sthash.L4W5COBK.dpuf

Deep and obscure Afrobeat from the always on point Hot Casa Records. Originally from the Ivory Coast, Pierre Antoine was born Ahui Ngoran Marcel and ended up naming himself after a French artist who went by Antoine. He drew inspiration from international pop music, specifically James Brown and French singer Johnny Hallyday. After traveling and performing throughout the early 70s, Antoine settled down in Ghana. There he became ensconced in the influential and prolific Afro Soul scene and started to work with Pat Thomas, his wife Lolla Everett, and Sammy Cropper. He developed an Afrobeat sound and released Kalabuley Woman on Papa-Disco in 1977. Both the title track and "Ye Man Noun" feature the looping rhythms characteristic of the best of Fela Kuti. "Ye Man Noun" might be the heavier of the two, but both cuts deliver where it counts. Kalabuley Woman has been hard to find since it was first released. Thankfully Hot Casa has seen fit to reissue the album today.

turntablelab.com