Want more Nigerian Disco?
Frank
2,370 Posts
I didn't get much of a reaction on the Lagos Disco Inferno mix that was also posted here on the strut. I'm still in Benin at the moment and digging up more and lore Disco and Boogie stuff along with the usual Funk and Afrobeat.Once I get back to Conakry in about a week or so, I'll start on new mixes right away. What is you opinion on the African Disco stuff? I know that I used to be a strong hater of all things Disco but this stuff really grew on me...What's your opinion? Too cheesy? You'd rather prefer more "straight" Afrobeat?Damn, it would be a good thing to do a poll on this but I can't figure out how to do this... my internet skills really are a bit too basic sometimes...
Comments
As for the disco, yeah it does get a bit cheesy after about 20 minutes, but it is endearing and enjoyable.
Thanks for all the work you put in, I know everyone appreciates it.
I'll be real excited when you get back to the states and put together a real mix of the best of all the finds.
Thanks for the fantastic mix. I sent this to my friend Dayo who grew up in Lagos, he really enjoyed it, as did i. Here is his review >
"Checked this mix out this morning. Thanks for the heads up, Beats. Brilliant. I only knew a few (the ones in asterix):
*00:00: Christiana Essien - black ladies are funky ladies (yet more funk magic from Christy Essien-Igbokwe. Marva Whitney-esque. I hear on the vine that Christy Essien might be making a comeback).
04:40: Grotto 2 -bad city girl
*10:12: Ofege -check it out (massive band in Nigeria in the early to mid 70s. Their big hit is/was "Wizzi Labo". Proper Jazzfunk ahead of it's time)
14:05 C.S. Crew -bread power
19:00 The Celebrant -off beats
25:55 Yom-Yem -power to the people
31:00 Fotso Simo -mummy
35:00 Success -sugar daddy
41:13 J.M. Tim & Foty -my funky boogie
44:27 Tom Youms -close to me
*49:12 Kris Okotje - 'am going now (good to hear this one again. Kris was a massive star in Nigeria in the 70/80s. He is now a politician).
*54:15 Ozo -anambra (an ALL-OUT Ross Allen classic. I remember him starting WW with this track a few years ago. BIG MUSIC - and very tricky to find in original format).
--Track of the mix: Success - sugar daddy (Dont know where i was when this was doing the rounds in Nigeria. Love the way it uses The Beegees' "Nightfever". I need it!!!)."
peace and keep em coming.
nick
ps copied from "our" forum over here.
http://brownswood.5.forumer.com/index.php?showtopic=15032
these i pretty much my thoughts i loved the begining but some of the last tracks were long..although i understand where you coming from...and that sound is growing on me
I dont know but maybe if you formated the disco mix into more of a disco mix..more breaks and faster edits..it would work better
its hard since all your other mixes are so..deep..or pure afro-beat
I really enjoy all of them however and hope I am voicing my opinion in a constructive fashion
btw i will ned to contact you about vampisoul/soundway conatcts we are having a big meeting here at casa africa so i will have some fresh news
once more thanks you and all the best in your digs
ps:you are helping out our music library in a major way
Yes.
bro download it on his blog
Are you getting into hiplife as well?
Peace,
Dress
Been wondering that one myself... from what I've heard it's
Your mixes are always great, and I personally like the variety. And to be honest my favorite mix so far was probably your first "conventional" African mix, beautiful.
As always, thanks for sharing.
p.s. Is it true that people in ivory coast are holding quite a few of Africa's records out of sheer appreciation for all musical styles in africa regardless of the nation of origin? Somethin like Wolof only bump Wolof music, but the ivory coast really appreciated African music all-around the continent? I picked this info from a relatively unknown grapevine, I could be very wrong.
got the download on...
im the OPPOSITE for disco mixes I hate quick mixes..i want blends and the more extended the better.
this mix is nice...sounds like solid straight afro funk to me.
Hey thanx a lot for the thumbs up (for the most part...) I probably wouldn't have cared much about the Disco stuff myself a few years back...
This one I've never seen in the field... at least not knowingly. It's very scary looking and I might have actually passed on it on some occasion.
I guess I'll definitively do another Disco mix then, alongside a rough Afro Funk / Afrobeat one. Just today, I've been picking up crazy stuff... a second SJOB Movement LP from '78. A Poly Rythmo 45 called "Soul Papillon" that I've never seen before and some other stuff that I'm very excited about... some of them are so dirty though that it's hard to tell if they will clean up or are actually scratched...
Due to a too small sized sink in my hotel room, I've been developing this slightly disturbing habit to take really dirt-caked records into the shower with me and rinse them while I also wash all the dust and grime off myself.
No, I won't post any pictures!
Since Ivory Coast has been for a long time, the most prosperous country in West Africa, I could see that a lot of people from other African countries moved there along with there records.
Regardless where I've been so far, the most numerous records will be stuff from Kongo/Zaire. Then comes Nigerian JuJu and Highlife. In Sierra Leone you will find a surprisingly large amount of Country music. Boney M you will find everywhere. Scratched up LPs from Rail Band de Bamako are also very frequent wherever I go.
Strongest percentage of local release has by far Benin. Nigeria probaly at least as many but I've so far been too much of a chicken to go to Lagos and sending people over there from Benin to buy up stuff instead...
It sounds like they were listening to Bonga Kuenda and Manu Dibango type stuff.
- spidey
My guess is that Angola was mostly influenced by the typical Congolese stuff and I'm also not the biggest fan of most things from Cameroon... but who knows... there light be some interesting local stuff... sadly, even civil wars destroy way more vinyl than the very record unfriendly weather around her (either unimaginably tense rainfall for weeks or drought with dust and sand entering everything, including record sleeves).
From what I heard, Angola is also the most expensive African country if you want to eat and live halfway risk free.
The oil boom has created such a deep divide between rich and poor that as a foreigner, living on a budget would mean to stay in very unattractive places and eat risky food. Don't get me wrong, I'm down for almost any kind of street food and I don't depend on air conditioned hotels but after a hard day of tropical digging, you really want a working shower, a toilet with a seat and food that won't have you clenching our buttocks all through the next day and I'm just not willing to pay Tokyo prices either...
Maybe I'm missing out... why don't one of you guys fly over there and give it a try!
also, if everything wasn't lost in the war, I'm guessing there could be some Cuban records to be found somewhere in Angola, seeing as 100,000+ Cuban troops have been stationed there.
http://www.voodoofunk.com
There's lots of Cuban stuff all over West Africa especially those countries who had a communist regime for a while. There's even Cuban restaurant in Conakry... I like Cuban influenced African stuff but have really no clue what Cuban stuff is concerned. It also seems like it's always the same 20-30 Cuban records I come across. Like you won't have much luck digging for rare Funk 45s in Frankfurt even though plenty of US troops were stationed there for a very long time...