Name: Afrodisiac
Brand: Fela Kuti

Bonus disc

Bonus disc: No

Catalogue number

1000149790

Colour

Green

Colour details

Green &amp; Red Marble Vinyl

Discogs ID

Format multiplier

Download code

Download code: No

Rough Trade Exclusive

Rough Trade Exclusive: No

Extended format

Extended format: Yes

Format detail

With Gold Foil Obi Strip

Format Music US

Limited edition

Release date

2023-01-06

Signed copies

Signed copies: No

Supplier US

Unive­rsal

Tax rate US

Sales:8.875

UPC / Barcode

720841206880

Total Cap

9999

Green LPx2

Artist

Fela Kuti

Genre US

African

Label US

Knitting Factory

Fela Kuti, born on 15 October 1938 in Abeokuta, Nigeria, was a legendary musician and human rights revolutionary. He formed his first group Koola Lobitos in 1963 and later changed the name to Afrika 70. Fela's vision and collaboration with key members like drummer Tony Allen ensured that the jazz, funk, and afrobeat style remained consistent throughout the decades. Known for his political activism, Fela started his own party to protest corruption in Nigeria. His influence on funk and African music is unparalleled, with a discography of approximately 77 albums.

After visiting America in 1969, Fela returned to Nigeria and opened club Afro Spot in Lagos. He collaborated with renowned musicians such as Ginger Baker and Bobby Tench from The Jeff Beck Group on notable albums like "Ginger Baker Live with Afrika 70" (1971) and "Stratavarious" (1972). In 1981, he renamed his group Egypt 80.

Fela Anikulapo Kuti, formerly known as Fela Ransome-Kuti until about 1978, was not only a musical icon but also a symbol of resistance against oppression. He established his own compound called the Kalakuta Republic in Lagos which he declared independent from Nigeria. However, this led to constant harassment by the government towards him and his numerous wives.

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The best known song on 1973's Afrodisiac is "Jeun Ko Ku," a satire about gluttony and Fela's first major hit in West Africa. In Broken English, the title means "chop and quench," which, in turn, means "eat and die" in Standard English. Lyrically, the standout track is the closing "Je'Nwi Temi" ("don't gag me"), a critique of the Nigerian political/military establishment and a defence of free speech. Fela vows that he will always tell it like it is, no matter what. This proved to be prophetic stuff, given the police and army assaults, intended to silence him, which were just around the corner. "Alu Jon Jonki Jon" draws on the interaction between animals and humans that is part of Yoruba mythology, in a tale about a dog who betrays his friends. Like many of Fela's lyrics of the period, the lyric employs parable and metaphor to encourage ethical conduct in everyday life. In "Eko Ile," Fela sings that there is no place like home (Eko was the pre-colonial name of Lagos). Afrodisiac was recorded at EMI's Abbey Road studios in London. According to the original sleeve credits, the album was produced by Jeff Jarratt. Fela only infrequently employed outside producers on his albums. Sometimes the results were excellent: British dub master Dennis Bovell's Live In Amsterdam (1983); Ginger Baker's psychedelia-tinged He Miss Road (1975); and Wally Badarou's Teacher Don't Teach Me Nonsense (1986). On another occasion it was spectacularly bad: Bill Laswell's remix and overdubbing of Army Arrangement (1985), made while Fela was in jail in 1984 on currency smuggling charges. Friends smuggled a cassette of Laswell's version into Fela. Listening to it, he said later, was "worse than being in prison.' On Afrodisiac, Jeff Jarratt was clearly working under Fela's close direction. The sound is classic Africa 70: punchy, raw, "live in the studio."

Afrodisiac

Music US