May 26/05
Afro-Allman
Before listening to this track, please get in your car and start driving. Put on some large sunglasses. Drive slowly.
In 1999 a new label called Strut released a great afro-funk compilation called Club Africa. It was assembled by British DJ and promoter, Russ Drewbury. The album sold pretty well, so Strut they released a second (even better) volume which we’ll sample tomorrow.
The track we’ll hear is by a Ghanaian funk-soul-highlife group from the 70s called The Ashantis. I read a review in the All Music Guide which likened this song to an afro-ized Allman Brothers.. in a negative way. Why would that be a bad thing? I say, bring it on.
Unfortunately Strut went under a little while ago, as you can see by their now non-existent web site, so we won’t getting a Club Africa 3.
*grin*
I am looking forward for the next sample you promised us for tomorrow.
In fact, Ashantis were quite popular in some parts of Europe in the seventies. The Polish label Muza released their LP “Disco Play” (Muza SX1856), obviously originally produced in Italy, around 1977, making it one of the funkiest records ever released in the Eastern Block at that time; and it’s less “disco” than the album title might suggest… The Polish liner notes (as far as I understand it; I’m Czech, so the language it’s quite similar) describe them as a group in the tradition of (early) Commodores or the Temptations. “Everybody’s Groove” is not on that album though (I also have Club Africa 1 — on vinyl), but it’s about the same kind of afro funk.
great blog!
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May 27/05
More Clu [...]
Boa musica. Muito suingue!!! I like your web site and music your put into it