Customer Reviews

Underground Spiritual Game

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is a strong collection of Fela classics from many eras of his prolific career (highlife to Egypt 80) , lovingly compiled by Chief Xcel (of the hiphop group Blackalicious). The basic core of the songs is untouched (thankfully), but Fela's 10 minute plus compositions are culled down to radio-friendly 4 min. tunes. The slow simmer portions of the songs are absent in favor of the main vocal sections, & burning solos. Pitch matching is employed to seemlessly blend one song into the next, & overdubs of Fela & others speaking about issues from the songs and the music itself added in post production. Fela-philes will hear nothing new on this disc- most overdubs are lifted from various interviews/concerts that they will already own/have heard. But this is a lovely listen- all strong tunes without having to program the changer (great for parties). This is Fela condensed for the dance floor! Shake your yansh!

Turntablist/producer/DJ Chief Xcel from the hip-hop group Blackalicious blends 12 tracks from the late Fela Kuti's extensive catalog into an album that is seamless, groovy, spiritual and soothing. This release expanded my appreciation for this Nigerian musician, and it serves as a nice introduction to his worldly sound if you've never heard him before. Remixing pre-existing, popular music is tricky, and Xcel does it with the same sort of skill and care that Bill Laswell showed on my favorite remix album of all time ... "Panthalassa: The Music Of Miles Davis 1969-1974."

If you've always been timid to jump feet first in to the world of Afro beat, this CD is for you. Chief Excel does a great job assembling a survey of the various stylistic periods in Fela's career. From the stripped down simplicity of his Koola Lobitos sessions to his larger sounds with the Egypt 80 band. I found this album a lot easier to digest then his greatest hits, plus it helps to give someone just getting into Fela, a chance to see which period of his music they enjoy, and then buy accordingly. This CD is a must have for anyone that's a fan of Afro beat, early r&b, or uptempo instrumental music.

I don't think I should be the one telling people to buy his music since I am so angry with him for his sexist and homophobic views, but I am just trying to focus on his positive side, which are his unapologetic African songs. This is a great album to buy because it has a very beautiful African vibe. No matter where I am in the world and how long I stay there, anytime I listen to this album, I know that I am African and that I am specifically from Nigeria. His lyrics are very intellectual, and it is very wonderful to listen to. I highly recommend it to everyone, but unfortunately there are references to people as pythons in the first song so I am not such a huge fan of the song. But if you're not scared of them definitely listen.

To be honest, I gave this cd to someone as a gift. Up to that point, I had not heard of Fela. I did my best by going through the selection of cds offered through Amazon.com. I found the music selestion to be a great variety of African beats and a little funk.

The person who I gave cd to loved it and jammed all the way home in his car. I am thankful to have heard snippets of the songs on any of the cds. I am open to any type of music. One has to be OPEN MINDED to music and understand their social surroundings. I did not realize this artist died of AIDS a decade ago. I was glad to see a big following of his music long after his departure.

This is a good start point for anyone looking to get into Fela Kuti. Excellent selection of songs mixed to perfection by Excel. Plus it's alot cheaper than alot of other Fela greatest hits comps on the market.