Afro Rock (Vol.1)

Afro Rock (Vol.1)

This collection of Afro-funk (the 'rock' is a bit of a misnomer) goes beyond the "Africafunk", "Club Africa" and "Ouelele/Racubah" comps, into the dark continent itself (and stays there). Where those had a lot more 'Westernized' tracks (from Europeans and North Americans), "Afro-Rock" has African musicians only, recording in their own countries. Kona must have tapped a major collector of this stuff for the comp, because these tracks never made it onto the shelves of record stores outside Kinshasa, Accra or Lagos.... Re-mastered off of vinyl, mostly, out of pure necessity (most original '60s or '70s African pop master tapes were usually recorded over--the tape itself being worth more than the music [which had ephemeral market value] at the time). These obscure predecessors and followers of Fela reveal the influence of Western soul and funk in 11 tracks of fantastic musical hybrids. Raw and slamming rhythmic energy.This collection of Afro-funk (the 'rock' is a bit of a misnomer) goes beyond the "Africafunk", "Club Africa" and "Ouelele/Racubah" comps, into the dark continent itself (and stays there). Where those had a lot more 'Westernized' tracks (from Europeans and North Americans), "Afro-Rock" has African musicians only, recording in their own countries. Kona must have tapped a major collector of this stuff for the comp, because these tracks never made it onto the shelves of record stores outside Kinshasa, Accra or Lagos.... Re-mastered off of vinyl, mostly, out of pure necessity (most original '60s or '70s African pop master tapes were usually recorded over--the tape itself being worth more than the music [which had ephemeral market value] at the time). These obscure predecessors and followers of Fela reveal the influence of Western soul and funk in 11 tracks of fantastic musical hybrids. Raw and slamming rhythmic energy. [RE] (August 15, 2001)

Pocahaunted: Island Diamonds-Bitte Orca: Dirty Projectors-Dos - Wooden Shjips-Music Sangam: Don Cherry, Latif Kahn-Some Sweet Relief - Speck Mountain-Un Dia: Juana Molina-Hvarf - Heim ~ Sigur Ros-Chemical Chords - Stereolab-The Disintegration Loops I: WILLIAM BASINSKI-Dragging A Dead Deer Up A Hill - Grouper-Nigeria Disco Funk Special: The Sound Of The Underground Lagos Dancefloor 1974-79-The Supreme Genious Of King Khan and the Shrines-Matmos "Supreme Balloon"-J' Accuse Ted Hughes ~ Sonic Youth-These New Puritans "Beat Pyramid"-Old Growth ~ Dead Meadow-Ocean Fire ~ Willits + Sakamoto-Aman Iman: Water is Life ~ Tinariwen-Trees Outside the Academy ~ Thurston Moore-Wedding Day ~ Marla Hansen-Music For Hairy Scary Monsters