The Afrobeat Thread

[Fishfacefour]

Zombie thread revival...

Been enjoying all of these recommendations thanks!

 

I've been digging Onipa this year. A real blend of modern sounds with more traditional.

 

 

 

 

And while we're on the subject of zombie threads

 

[SumOne]

Reviving this! 

 

I know Aftobeat generally is more associated with the Fela Kuti kind if sound/era, but some of the best pop music from anywhere nowadays is from Nigeria, I suppose it's just Nigerian Pop rather than Aftobeat, anyway, whatever you want to call it - I'm loving this stuff:

 

 

 

[SumOne]

 

[nekomatic]

I hadn't seen this thread before, and big thanks to all contributors for the recommendations - going to be going on a playlist near you (well, near me) very shortly. If I could choose three fantasy bands to be in, one of them would definitely be an Afrobeat band. Also I hope the people on page 1 who tipped the Ezras for greatness back in 2020 are feeling suitably pleased with themselves now.

 

Here's The Fontanelles:

 

 

 

 

[godathunder]

I took the kids to see Orchestra Baobab at the Bray jazz festival a few weeks ago. Great vibe and got a primarily grey haired audience up and dancing.

The bass was never flashy and just grooved solidly but the rhythm guitarist was an absolute beast - just relantless

 

Not my vid but from a gig a week later

 

 

[shybaldbuddhist]

There's some fantastic stuff in this thread. Thanks everyone for sharing. 

 

I've been into afrobeat for about 10 years and have come across some great stuff in that time. I formed an afrobeat band a few years ago when I lived in London. There's a strong afrobeat and African music scene in London which was great to be a part of. 

 

In terms of afrobeat bass playing, my approach was always very minimal and to provide a strong foundation that sits within the other parts of the song. The band I played in had 10 members so sparse playing meant I could give more room for the other layers to lock in and not get too muddy. 

 

Here's a video of my band playing an original tune.

https://youtu.be/bwTxpshM39k?si=cvLrlv58bHqpsUus

 

I played a few gigs with Edd Bateman who is a fantastic bass player who plays African music. He's got a YouTube channel with loads of videos on different styles of African music. 

https://youtu.be/ghAcuTLM5DI?si=CNG61gZkJn6YYuFj