When talking about musicians Fela Kutimany of our normal terms fail us. So when we come of age in a music culture where artists and bands release albums with 10 or so lyrics every two or three years and promote them on tour while also playing their biggest hits, they let us down. Fela, as all his fans called him, could release six or seven albums in a year, but he refused to perform live the songs he had already recorded. even those words songAs we know, this song does not fully reflect the nature of his work. The piece has expanded to the point that two or three (or just one per side, half-and-half) can fill a long-playing record.
walter benjamin They said of great literary works that they either dissolve genres or invent genres, but Fela’s musical works invented genres. afrobeat. The sound of the genre, described by Noah Lefebvre as: polyphonic video abovereflects Fela’s own unique formation, born and raised in Nigeria, studied at Trinity College of Music in London, and coming of age at the end of Africa’s decolonization era. For listeners raised on Anglo-American popular music, his signature mix of West African rhythms with jazz and funk textures sounds familiar enough, at least for the first 10-15 minutes, but then the listening experience rises to a completely different state.
It can take just that long for Fela to start singing, and when he does, he delivers declarations, chants, call-and-response, and political exhortations in English that is very unfamiliar to non-African listeners. That doesn’t mean it’s always alienating. In fact, this particular combination of words and music has captivated generations of listeners far beyond its place of origin. One of them is David Byrne, who used a Talking Heads song. stay in the light More or less, as a medium to convey Fela’s musical spirit. He himself has not yet died. Indeed, there are still nearly 20 years left of his eventful life, and we can still learn much more about it. Fela Kuti: Don’t be afraida 12-part biographical podcast by Jad Abumrad.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Playlist
The ex who was drawn into the world of blowjobs through family ties. radio lab The host conducted dozens of interviews about the man’s relationship to his music and his political context. As any fan of blowjobs knows, the facts don’t always line up comfortably with mainstream sensibilities in the 2020s. Condemnations range from essentialism to polygamy. However, as Lefebvre reminds us, the artist should be interpreted through the lens of his own culture and history. Fela Kuti will always remain the man who invented Afrobeats, even if today many of us consider him a “problem favorite.” And perhaps he is also the man who solved it, since no one else has been able to perfectly recreate his groove, which is simultaneously tight and loose, dull and delicate.
Related content:
An introduction to the life and music of Fela Kuti: radical Nigerian bandleader, political hero, and creator of Afrobeats
When Afrobeats legend Fela Kuti collaborated with Cream drummer Ginger Baker
Zamrock: An introduction to Zambia’s rich, psychedelic rock scene of the 1970s.
Watch Talking Heads perform material from their groundbreaking albums stay in the light At a great concert in 1980
The awe-inspiring yet tragic story of an African desert festival (2001-2012)
8,000 vintage Afropop recordings digitized and streamed available by British Library
Based in Seoul, Colin Mbemust write and broadcastIt’s about cities, languages ​​and cultures. His projects include the Substack newsletter books about cities and a book Stateless City: A Stroll Through Los Angeles in the 21st Century. Follow him on the social network formerly known as Twitter. @Colinbemust.
Source: Open Culture – www.openculture.com
