Customer Reviews

Nigeria Disco Funk Special

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Soundway never fails, but this release is a peach even for them. The first cut is some very good JB's style funk. The set drifts into some stunning proto-electro funk ("Lagos City" by the Asiko Rock Group sounds like the long lost b-side to the stomping "Holy Ghost" by the Bar-Kays) before gradually revealing its African origins when the vocals kick in on later tracks. Essential.

Ouch ! This is good...
A fan of Fela Kuti since my early teens, and somewhat of a connoisseur of Afrobeat, I wasn't expecting any big surprises when I ordered this one... but woe Daddy, when I got it, was I blown away...
To begin, this isn't quite Afrobeat... its hardcore disco funk... and according to the liners (which come in this really cool packaged cardboard box) apparently the trend in the '70s were for DJs to spin stuff like BT Express, Brass Construction and James Brown... included in this collection are some of the groups that were obviously great influenced by them... which isn't to say that the Fela Kuti school of funk (which actually influenced JB during his trip to Africa) and the Highlife influence isn't there at times - - The tune GREETINGS for example kinda sounds like Osibisa meets Earth Wind and Fire...
Ijere on the other hand is interesting because it has that tight Fela like Jammy-ness, but there's a bit of Reggae, Fusion and "Eastern" sounding music mixed in with a mean floor throbbing percussion heavy disco-funk beat...
My favorite tune though is the slickly mixed Lagos City with that mean compressed drum kit, the riffy horns, and all the late '70s type spaced out guitar bass syncopation... Will of the People on the other hand has a really great thing going with some really tripped out almost Steve Gadd like funk drumming and some really strange guitar FX.

One very interesting thing about the album is the slick rhythm guitar work... The horns are funky, but not exception, and the rhythm sections are way way tight... The bass players also keep mean and steady lines, straight from the JB school...
Another high point is the imaginative production values... lot's of cute stuff going on, almost as the tracks are DJ produced... (i.e. these aren't mere one chord jams - - lot's of stuff is going on... and not only are the musicians and bandleaders hard at word, so are the folks in charge of the mixing board.)

Kudos to the team that put this together... plenty of information is given on the groups, and the cover design is slick (you really have to see it and hold it in person to truly appreciate it... photo here doesn't do it justice.) When you open it up, there's also a cute booklet hidden away in the sleeve... don't forget to check it out...

Meanwhile, keep your fingers crossed... for years an underground collection of the Afrobeat Best 100 has circulated around here and there... let's pray that one day it gets re-mastered and commercially released !

As a casual funk listener who is discovering some terrific obscure African music, this disc takes the cake. I suspect it would appeal to just about anybody who likes to tap their toe to a good groove. Highly recommended...Kev

I just wanted to rate this album, not write a review. But Amazon does not offer an option to rate items not purchased on amazon unless it is in a review. If they do I could not locate it. Either way, you should buy this album. It's awesome.