It takes almost 50 seconds of build-up, but it sure is an intriguing enough intro, followed by some very powerful rhythm and a unique mix of soul, jazz, Mbalax, and Afrobeats.
I love finding new music, especially ethnic roots music, and learning the stories and performers behind the tunes. As mentioned in my bio, I’m an amateur ethnomusicologist, and I collect music videos and have them organized into 19 playlists on my YouTube channel. The channel is over a decade old & my collection of tunes has been years in the making. In some cases, I have published articles about the various genres on my Medium page. Here’s a link to my Afrobeat/Afropop playlist - almost 130 music vids of the best the continent has to offer IMO. Especially fond of West African Griots and guitarists. Also the standout female African vocalists and instrumentalists like Kidjo, Diawara, Nneka, ASA and Jobarteh. #music#afrobeat#AfricanMusic#Africa#YouTube#MusicVideo#playlisthttps://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLE6DB27B73B588787
Best way really to experience Fela Kuti's afrobeats is as a whole album. Some tracks are 15mins long, but you won't mind. Some songs he lets the band build for longer than regular tracks before he comes in with the vocals. It's not about radio friendly or fitting between commercials. His albums build a hypnotic rhythm through each song to song. Here's a taster, a slimmed down 6minute edit of Lady.