Afrobeat Week

In honor of Fela Kuti’s birthday week (October 15, 1938 - August 2, 1997), here’s a look at two of the latest global groove compilations marked with the Afrobeat king’s stamp.

Nigeria 70: Lagos Jump

Strut Records set an impossibly high hurdle for African funk compilations with the 2001 release of Nigeria 70: The Definitive Story of 1970s Funky Lagos. The three-disc behemoth included lesser-known tracks from relative big names like Fela, Tony Allen, and King Sunny Ade alongside rarities from virtual unknowns plus an hour-long audio documentary tracing the history of the Nigerian music from highlife jazz to Afrobeat. After closing their doors for five years in 2003, the UK label is back with a Nigeria 70 sequel.

The disc peaks with the thumping bass, bellowing drums, psychedelic surf guitar, and searing keys of Ify Jerry Crusade’s “Everybody Likes Something Good.” It’s gritty African garage soul, my new favorite genre I never knew existed. Aside from the deep Afrobeat groove of Peter King’s “African Dialects” and Sir Shina Peters & His International Stars’ “Yabis,” nothing comes close to the excitement on the first half of the album with a few songs leaning towards more polite Afro-pop and highlife jazz sensibilities. The back half invigorates with the reggae-infused “African Irie” by Chief Checker and the pounding drums, squawking horns, and fuzzy guitar wailing of the Faces’ “Tug of War.” On “Wetin De Watch Goat, Goat Dey Watcham,” Eric Akaeze & His Royal Ericos deliver what fans have come to expect from Afrobeat – 10 minutes plus of an unrelenting heavy groove, hypnotizing vocal chants, and the occasional instrumental freakout. The sequel doesn’t quite match the original but it’s a welcome second chapter.

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

The incredible title of this Analog Africa release sums it up: raw psychedelia drips from every track, the scream contest resulting as screeching singers parrot James Brown to thrilling results. Rego et Ses Commandos give the Godfather’s “Give It Up Or Turn It Loose” an Afro-twist on “Se Na Min” while while Orchestre Poly-Rhythmo's frontman shouts himself hoarse on "Gbeti Madjro." The only English language tracks – “It’s a Vanity” and “Wait For Me” – also channel the JBs but rarely has mimicry been so mesmerizing. A true fusion of cross-continental sounds, few of these groups have the same precision that Brown demanded from his bands but enthusiasm bridges the gap as fuzzy wah-wah works overtime, screams reach an ear-shattering pitch, and amps are cranked up to eleven. The songs tend to bleed together even after several listens but what this screaming set lacks in diversity it makes up for in ferocity.