It’s finally Friday. Man, what a long week. More Lebanese, some Ugandan, a little Irish and more is in the pipeline. Now I’ll just find the time… in the meantime another brief Nigeria interlude:

Shortly before I first moved to Africa I picked-up a copy of Strut’s 2001 release, Nigeria 70. I was into West African music a bit before this, but that compilation really knocked me out. It made me excited to move nearby.

A few months later I would visit Nigeria for the first time. Thanks in large part to Nigeria 70 and the crate digging that it inspired my ability to talk about groups like Ofo & The Black Company and The Funkees opened many musical doors with the locals.

Those trips to Lagos and the music I picked-up there, all in a way inspired by Nigeria 70, formed the base of what would eventually become this web site and a long-lasting passion for West African contemporary music.

Lagos Jump is Strut’s latest Nigerian offiering. It’s out this month, available everywhere. With good liner notes by John Collins and a solid line-up of tracks, Lagos Jump is definitely worth checking out.

That Immortals track is especially killer.. makes me want to go surfing at Badagari beach. I’ll leave it for you to discover, especially since the K7/Strut guys asked that I post only the first track.

Sir Shina Peters – Yabis

Remember when we used to just sit back and listen to good Nigerian music?

And on an unrelated note, I’m going to spend about 60 days in China starting next month. Any tips on where to find/see/hear the good parts of Beijing’s music scene?

This Decca courtesy of the tireless Colombian, Fabian.

Heavy Brothers Construction – Jehova

Thanks to lots of great Mauritian music submitted by Benn loxo listeners I’ll be back with a second Mauritius week tomorrow morning.

In the meantime, let’s take a quick breather.. friend and Benn loxo listener Alex has a Monday treat for you:

“Tonight I’ve found a rare track that deserves to spread among the world of African music fans. It’s a rare B-side of Fela Kuti’s from 1970, just as he invented the style of Afrobeat music.

Beautiful Dancer has a hard groove like the other song on this record, the well-known Black Man’s Cry. While Black Man’s Cry became famous after it was featured as the opening track on Fela’s 1971 live album with Ginger Baker, Beautiful Dancer has been lost and never featured on any re-release since the original 45rpm record (which was only released in Nigeria and France). It features Fela’s Africa 70 with Tony Allen on drums. There are a few more of these rare singles from Fela’s early career that have never been re-released, such as Keep Nigeria One, Beggar’s Song (Orin Alagbe), and Going In and Coming Out. If anyone has copies, please e-mail Matt.”

Thanks, Alex. As he said, if you have any of these un-released Fela tracks please let us know in the comments or by e-mail.

Fela Ransome-Kuti and his Africa ‘70 – Beautiful Dancer

Farid from Colombia just sent me an amazing album: African System Orchestra’s 1981 RAS release, Canon Kpa Kum.

Correct me if I’m wrong, but as far as I can tell African System Orchestra is an Igbo Nigerian group who were playing at around the same time as groups like the Imo Brothers International and the Peacocks.

Editor’s note: turns out I was wrong: Ndongo Pecos and presumably the rest of African System Orchestra are apparently Cameroonian, living in Nigeria when this album was recorded.

But these tracks certainly don’t sound like your average 70s Nigerian highlife. I guess by 1981 much of Nigeria was in the throws of Afrobeat and disco, which must have rubbed-off on the Igbo highlife bands too.

Does anyone have any more music like this? I’m refering specifically to late 70s, early 80s Igbo music with a bit of an afrofunk-disco drive to it?

Great party music. Thanks, Farid.

African System Orchestra – Canon Kpa Kum
African System Orchestra – African System No. 1

A few days ago we heard some 1960s highlife from Lagos.

Following the Nigerian civil war, or Biafran war for independence, depending on your history book, juju replaced highlife as the dominant musical force in Western Nigeria. While there were still a few Yoruba highlife musicians left in Lagos the dominant Igbo highlife stars had left town and juju musicians like Ebeneezer Obey were taking over.

Original Music’s 37th release, Lucky Stars Rosy Mornings, explores the exploding juju scene in Nigeria’s second city, Ibadan, located in western Nigeria, during the 1960s.

The compilation is filled with scratchy, lovely tunes that remind us how juju sounded before it sped up and got whacked over the head with a synth during the 1980s.

Professor Sunny Agaga & his Lucky Stars Band – Olorun Lomo Ola
F.A. Jimmy West & his Rosy Morning Band – Ijesha Ile

I’m determined to eventually get a post in for every single Original Music release. I know that many of you, or at least those who read often, may already have these albums, but bear with me. It’s a personal goal to collect and post a sample from every album in the OM catalog.

Today’s picks come from Original Music’s 17th release, Mbuki Mvuki. It’s a compilation of, in their words, “terrestrial hits from the catalog”. So if you’re not into running around, collecting every release, this album is a good sampler of much of what the label offered.

According to the liner notes, Mbuki Mvuki is Bantu for “to shuck off one’s clothes in order to dance.” I don’t know about you, but that’s what we’re doing here in our Paris apartment this sunny Saturday morning.. dancing, possibly with some by-request Diana Ross thrown into the mix, coffee in hand.

Three of my favourite tracks off the compilation from Ghana, Tanzania and Nigeria. Enjoy your Sunday.

Professional Uhuru – Madzi Me Sigya
Salim Abdullah – Wanawake Wa Tanzania
New Star Orchestra – Olefaya Loko

I revived Benn loxo with some Nigerian 70s rock courtesy of Soundway yesterday, so we’ll continue along a similar path with another in my long series of Original Music posts.

Today’s tracks come off one of my favourite Original Music releases that I’ve heard to date, Azagas & Archibogs – The Sixties Sound Of Lagos. The compilation features a collection of Nigerian Igbo, Yoruba and other highlife groups from Lagos. The songs have been (slightly) remastered from 45rpm records released during the early to mid-1960s.

It’s interesting to hear some good Yoruba highlife from this period, before Juju and Afrobeat took over. Most of the Nigerian highlife I know is from the Igbo east of the country, a region that for me, maybe aside from Ghana, produced Africa’s best music during the 1960s. However, it’s clear after listening to this compilation that Lagos’ Yoruban groups definitely had a good thing going as well.

Charles Iwegbue & His Archibogs – Okibo
Eric Akaeze & His Azagas – Adunni

I’m back, again. This time from a couple weeks in Canada for my brother’s wedding. Congrats, Ben.

And what better way to return than with some Nigerian 70s rock. That’s what this web site is all about, after all. Remember the beginning?

Today’s tracks come courtesy of the good people at Soundway Records. You should all know and love their Ghana Soundz releases, plus Afro-baby and that great TP Orchestre Poly-Rythmo release put together by Miles Cleret.

Soundway have a new double-disc compilation coming out in a few days called Nigeria Special: Modern highlife, afro-sounds and Nigerian blues, 1970-6. Pre-order now – fantastic hard-to-find classics, nicely cleaned-up.

This quote from the liner notes sums up the sound: “The early to mid-70s was the last time you could step out in Lagos, Onitsha, Enugu, Kaduna, Jos or Port Harcourt and see both old-style highlife bands dessed in crisp, matching suits; and then leave and visit a club up the road with young bands in their early twenties, dressed in Cuban heels, T-shirts and flares, and playing psychedelic rock and pop songs.”

ps – check-out the fansite at http://nigeriaspecial.info.

The Hykkers – I Want A Break Thru
The Funkees – Akula Owu Onyeara
Semi Colon – Nekwaha Semi Colon

One of my favourite Benn loxo readers, one who is responsible for introducing me to a lot of the music on this site, recently turned me on to Ignace De Souza.

Ignace De Souza is one of the those forgotten greats of West African music who was very influencial in his day. To give you an idea, in the liner notes of an Original Music compilation of his music, John Storm Robers credits De Souza’s track, Ole, as being the first afrobeat recording.

Originally from Benin, De Souza got his first big start when he got a gig playing sax with Alfa Jazz, who John Collins credits as being the first professional dance band in Benin. In later years De Souza moved to Ghana and played with several groups before forming his own. By the mid-60s, De Souza and Black Santiagos had become quite popular and began introducing Congo music to Ghana.

While a lot of the music on this Original Music comp sound pretty much like what you’d expect from the time and place they were recorded, there are several stand-out tracks. Two come to mind: Asaw Fofor for a 1960s chase scene and Anyenko for laid-back, “protofunk” summer music.

Unfortunately, great things never last. Does anyone know why the Black Santiagos split? Either way, in 1970 De Souza left Ghana before eventually settling in Lagos where he played with the house band at the Ritz Hotel. (I can’t help but associated this last bit with an image of Murph and the Murphtones at a Holiday Inn in the film The Blues Brothers.)

ps- you can still buy this album at Stern’s.

Ignace De Souza – Asaw Fofor
Ignace De Souza – Anyenko
Ignace De Souza – Ole

Did you see this article on the BBC the other day? Am I the only one who thinks that the abundance of titles adds to the amazing flavour of contemporary Nigerian life? Seriously, earned or bought, Nigerian title-giving is just another example of the colour we often lack out West. Plus, I would love if my colleagues started calling me Dr. Chief Engineer Matt, Esquire.

Anyway, I’ve never posted any King (Chief) (Dr.) Oliver de Coque on Benn loxo before, so today we’ll hear one of his tracks grabbed off a good compilation, Lagos Chop Up.

I didn’t make up the Chief, King or Doctor part. de Coque earned his Doctor title when the University of New Orleans awarded him an honorary doctorate in music in 1994. The King title came when he was crowned the King of Highlife music by the Alaafin of Oyo. Not sure where the Chief came in, but he refers to himself using this title too.

Oliver de Coque, born plain-old Oliver Sunday Akanite, is a Nigerian musician famous for his Ogene highlife music and untiring promotion of his native Igbo culture. His break came in 1979 when his single, People’s Club Ka anyi bili be ndu, sold two million copies. He kept at it and has released a stream of successful recordings over several decades.

I picked the second track because my favourite Wolof proverb, aside from benn loxo du taccu, is danka ndanka mooy jaapa golo si nahi. It translates into “slowly, slowly, you catch a monkey in the bush.” In other words, chill-out, guy. Take it easy. It’s August. This is the Ikenga Super Stars of Africa’s advice to you in their own pidgin way.

ps- That’s the Emir of Katsina in Nigeria top-left. More pictures of African royalty here.

pps- Benn loxo reader, Kevin, is heading to Ghana. Any tips for live music venues, record shops, festivals or good things to check-out music-wise?

Oliver de Coque & his Expo ‘76 – The Tragedy Story of Two Friends
Ikenga Super Stars of Africa – Soffry Soffry Catch Monkey