The first time I had the pleasure of hearing Afrobeat was in Skopje, Macedonia, of all places. There isn’t a lot of variance to the music on this comp, though there are a few gems on this comp, but I have to be honest – how do you better Fela Kuti and Tony Allen? It’s a tough sell.
This is the future of Afrobeat you’re listening to on this compilation, and the best part is that the genre is exploding everywhere. You will find bands from Nigerian diasporas in places like France and Spain, but it was interesting to see solid music coming out of Brazil, Reunion Island, Greece, Mexico and Uruguay. It shows you how much of an influence Fela and Tony left worldwide.
Kudos to NYP Records and DJ Mukambo for hipping these artists to the world. Listen and enjoy.
