By: Michael Madavi
Artist: Various Artists
Title: The Rough Guide to Afrobeat Revival
Label: Rough Guides/World Music Network
Release Date: 3.23.09
UPC: 605633121827
Genres: World : African
Territories: World
Rough Guides, in association with World Music Network, has put out a new, fantastic Rough Guide to Afrobeat Revival, a combination of Yoruba music, jazz, highlife, and funk rhythms, fused with percussion and vocal styles that was originally popularized in Africa in the 1970s. Partially a funk-driven, soul jam that would serve perfectly as the soundtrack to a Blacksploitation film, but in no way limited to urban contexts, the album covers a broad range of artists from the contemporary revival movement while making nods to its forefathers such as Fela Kuti, who coined the name “Afrobeat” and is accredited as the genre’s founder. An all-too appropriate title, the name describes this album’s sound perfectly: a smoothly blended mixture of 70′s funk and soul mixed with African world music. Empowering, upbeat, and often politically driven, the bands featured on the compilation are composed of up to 30 members who take complex layers of traditional African tribal drumming and chanting, then mix it with triumphant brass arrangements, groovy bass lines and funky guitar. Rough Guides once again lives up to their reputation, compiling a far-reaching and informative compilation on this unique and complex genre.
Related Posts:
Tags: Rough Guides
