KoToNTeeJ’s African Musics #1

"[…] all the tracks are a revelation. The beat that holds everything together has its origins in the rhythms of the Sawa people; Ambassey, Bolobo, Assiko and Essewé, a traditional funeral dance. But it wasn’t until these rhythms arrived in the cities of Cameroon and collided with Merengue, High-Life, Congolese Rumba, and, later, Funk and Disco, that modern Makossa was born."

This compilation "The Rise And Fall of Nigerian Rock" is a tribute to the many bands that formed this relatively unknown 1970s Nigerian Rock & Psychedelic circle. It includes tracks from Ify Jerry Krusade, The Hygrades, The Hykkers, Waves, The Funkees, Theodore Nemy and many more.

Fela Kuti’s Mr Follow Follow was released in 1976/77 on the Zombie album.

1973’s “Gentleman” is the 7th in the series of celebratory Fela 50th Anniversary reissues.

At the time of its release, the name of this album (and the eponymous title track) would have been recognized by any Nigerian as the acronym for “International Telephone and Telegraph”, Nigeria’s biggest telecommunications conglomerate. In this case, however, Fela satirically used the acronym to mean “International Thief-Thief.”

Released to coincide with the Ghanaian Independence Day celebrations on 6th March 2024, African Brothers Band International of Ghana’s “Locomotive Train (Keteke)” album is a fine example of the band’s fusion of Highlife, guitar based Rock and Reggae.