Album Reviews

Nigeria 70: Lagos Jump

Nigeria 70: Lagos Jump

<Strut Records>
During the incipient stages of global exploration in the 1800’s, European explorers viewed sub-Saharan as a conundrum, a “dark continent” that cartographers left as darkened, un-delineated areas on maps. Much contemporary African pop music carries the legacy of the “dark continent” today, leaving many international audiences without a frame of reference for Africa’s effervescent rhythms. Strut Records’ Nigeria 70: Lagos Jump sheds light onto the enshrouded history of Afrobeat and funk developing in the most populous country in Africa. In the 1970’s, the recently independent Nigeria emerged from internal warring, as oil revenue flowed to the higher-ups creating a vacuum of corruption. Led by Afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti and his black power influenced band Nigeria 70, Kuti fomented a musical revolution. His band’s funk-styled guitar plucking, low-slung percussion shuffle, and traditional African chat became the bedrock for Afrobeat. The Nigeria 70: Lagos Jump compilation documents the cultural confluence of the country’s stylistic grazing on James Brown funk, Santana’s psychedelia, and, of course, Fela Kuti. From the sexy jazz-funk of Peter King to the contrapuntal drum dance of Ahanti Afrika Jah, Nigeria 70 is not just “Afrobeat for beginners,” it is an irresistible unveiling of a largely unknown slice of Africa.

-Drew Tewksbury

(Flaunt Magazine 2008)

Related posts:

1. Punks Jump Up
2. UNDER PRESSURE: Going the distance with jump-cut electro rockers Jogger
3. Foreign Born – Person to Person
4. Amadou et Mariam – Welcome to Mali
5. Mulatu Astatke, Godfather of Ethio Jazz

© 2008 Drew Tewksbury: Multimedia Journalist.