Customer Reviews

Africafunk 1

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The recipe: take African musicians, feed them on a steady diet of James Brown and funk influenced tunes, shake, stand back and watch what unfolds. The result: a compilation selecting the finest Afro Beat for your sampling pleasure. Who's at the party? Peter King, Wali & the African Carnival, Fela Kuti, Manu Dibango Mulatu Astatqe and more. What does it sound like? Listen to track 3, the flute grabs you, the drums make you feel as though you are 007 being chased through the African jungle, and the chants possess that camp fire sing along flavor. My favorite tune of the disc, track 7. If the name alone doesn't get you (the tune is called EXPENSIVE), the groove will. Imagine, if you will, James Brown in Nairobi backed up with a jazzy riff, and there you have it, an instrumental classic. But just when you take breather, the horns charge in!

This is a great collection - Manu Dibango's greasy, funky "Weya" makes it worth the price of admission alone - but for my money, Africafunk: Return To The Original Sound Of 1970s Funky Africa is even better. I'd start there and then track down a copy of this record once you've worn out Vol. II.

Also check out the sublime Ghana Soundz: Afrobeat, Funk and Fusion in 70's, Vol. 2.

This is one of the tightest collections of african funk I have ever heard. Buy it now (if you can find it).