Mindblowing work from the legendary Fela – definitely at the top of his game here, and brimming over with energy supplied by the Africa 70 ensemble! The tracks are long and freewheeling – but never without a sense of direction – as every ounce of the music is devoted to serving up the message of the man – from the way the keyboards step out over the grooves, to the sublime saxophone solos, to the rising energy when the vocals take flight in call/response mode! "Upside Down" is a monster groover with great rumbling sound – and "Go Slow" is slightly mellower, but no less soulful and funky. LP, Vinyl record album
Funky soul, but with deeper roots too – a killer set from Matata – a group from Kenya, but one who arrived on the London scene in the 70s – where their blend of African roots and American soul really took the group by storm! There's a fantastic influence here from James Brown – not just on the vocals, which have a raw, shouting, completely soulful style – but also on the rhythms and instrumentation – which have this sharp riffing guitar with the bass, ala James Brown Band of the late 60s – topped with equally great horn work to match! The whole thing's fantastic – as appealing to a fan of American early 70s funk as one of 70s African grooves – and titles include "I Wanna Do My Thing", "Return To You", "Getting Together", "I Believed Her", "I Don't Have To Worry", "I Want You", "Love Is The Only Way", "Gimme Some Lovin", and the classic "Talking Talking". LP, Vinyl record album
(UK reissue pressing, on President.)
4
Berkely Ike Jones —
Nation Building ... LP PMG (Austria), 1979. Near Mint- ...
Out Of Stock
A mighty nice set from Berkely Ike Jones – guitarist and one of the founders of the legendary Blo – working here in a groove that's a bit more Afro disco overall, but which still has all the great touches of his previous work! The music's plenty funky, but more in a clubby way than some of the more familiar Afro Funk modes you might know from the mid 70s – with lyrics in English, and an overall vibe that's like the best post-colonial work coming from the Paris and London scenes at the time! Part of the album was recorded in London, which may account for the vibe – and the instrumentation is tightly played, but never slick. There's definitely some politics in the mix, too – surprisingly righteous lyrics, on tunes that include "It's Time For Nation Building", "Calling Health Men/Police", "Tears In The Ghetto", "National Pledge", and "1979". LP, Vinyl record album
(2016 issue.)
5
Max B —
Max B No 1 ... LP Opalo (Spain), 1972. Very Good Gatefold ...
Out Of Stock
An Afro-Funk classic! The track "Bananaticoco" by Max B has been compiled a number of times over the years, but few have gotten a chance to hear Max's super-heavy album of funk from 1973. The record's quite different than the fast Fela-like "Bananaticoco" groove, with a melange of slower funky styles – a bit like Chakachas, a bit like Lafayette Afro Rock Band, and with traces of some of the post-colonial Afro Funk groups working around London during the late 60s and early 70s. This one's got plenty of fuzzed-out guitars, rolling blown-out basslines, and heavy acoustic percussion to give the album a kick from underneath. Lots of party grooves on this one – and titles include "Free", "Samba", "Bameloo", "Nessa", "1er Movimiento", and "Poker". LP, Vinyl record album
A hip group from Sierra Leone – but one who recorded these tracks in the US during the late 70s – which makes for a very unusual hybrid of sounds! The group's original approach was to update regional sounds from their nation, and avoid some of the more commercial cover versions of Anglo hits on the market – but over the years they played a fair bit on the Canary Islands, and then on the west coast of the US – and seemed to pick up a range of funky influences in the process! The result is a sound that's rooted in Africa, but peppered with lots of skittish rhythms and fast instrumental riffing – a bit like some of the post-colonial work on the London and Paris scenes of the time, but a bit different too. The cuts here were all originally issued in the US on the Makossa label – that hotbed of cross-cultural creativity – and titles include "Bi Loko", "Yamba Sowe", "Wali Bena", "Be Patient", and "Ben Ben Bee". LP, Vinyl record album
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