The Groove
Saturday December 16th, 2017 with ELORIOUS CAIN
They called it "THE AFRICAN MUSIC EXPLOSION"....
Back in the early 1970's there was a rush of amazing African artists doing their take on standard Western Disco. They called it "THE AFRICAN MUSIC EXPLOSION" and it really took off with successes like MANU DIBANGO's "Soul Makossa" in 1972. We have given you information on certain artists.
This is just a small sample of the awesome collection of recordings African artists either making "standard" DISCO, FUNK or combining their music with such ranging from 1972 to 1988:
| MATATA
____________________ A Kenyan band founded by Jeik Kalunga Loksa in Nairobi's "Brilliant Club" back in 1963, MATATA; or MATATA (AIR-FIESTA), would record a couple of amazing albums in England in the early 1970's that produce FUNK classics like the single "I FEEL FUNKY" from 1973: |
| I FEEL FUNKY MATATA - INDEPENDENCE (LP) - PRESIDENT |
| BLO
_____________ The Nigerian FUNK band BLO enjoyed a lot of attention in the U.S. Their "Dance In A Circle" was popular in Lagos discos: |
| DANCE IN A CIRCLE BLO - PHASES 1972-1982 (2LP) - AFRO STRUT |
| ROD
________________ ROD is ROCH NIANGANDOUMOU. Born to Senegalese parents in Brazzaville, Republic of Congo, ROD rose to international fame as a DISCO and FUNK singer in the early 1980's in France with "Shake It Up (Do The Boogaloo)": |
| SHAKE IT UP (DO THE BOOGALOO) ROD - ROD (LP) - JONATHAN |
| EVERYBODY GET DOWN ASIKO ROCK GROUP - LAGOS DISCO INFERNO (2LP) - ACADEMY LPS |
| ABETI
__________ The late ABETI MASIKINI; also from Brazzaville, Republic of Congo, started with CONGOLESE RUMBA in the early 1970's. By the mid 1980's she was celebrated around the world as "the queen of Soukous". She did record a EURODISCO album with Slim Pezin in 1977: |
| MOTEMA PASSI ABETI MASIKINI - VISAGES (LP) - BBZ PRODUCTIONS |
| AFRICAN HUSTLE GERALDO PINO - BOOGIE FEVER (LP) - BLACKSPOT |
| HANG ON NANA LOVE - LAGOS DISCO INFERNO (2LP) - ACADEMY LPS |
| SOULFUL DYNAMICS
________________________ Formed in Liberia in 1965, the SOULFUL DYNAMICS would go to Europe to record numerous European discotheque standards beginning with the "Mademoiselle Ninette" in 1970. Their "Jungle People" spread around the world: |
| JUNGLE PEOPLE SOULFUL DYNAMICS - 12" - METRONOME |
| SOUL MAKOSSA MANU DIBANGO - SOUL MAKOSSA (LP) - ATLANTIC |
| MWASA MAKOSSA MANU DIBANGO - MAKOSSA MAN (LP) - ATLANTIC |
| DON'T FIGHT THE FEELING JO BISSO - DISCO AMOUR, TONIGHT (LP) - MAKOSSA INTERNATIONAL |
| BOOGIE TRIP DORIS EBONG - LAGOS DISCO INFERNO (2LP) - ACADEMY LPS |
| ARABICA TALA A.M. - ARABICA (LP) - FIESTA |
| EL HOMBRECITO BLACK SOUL - BRASIL AFRICA (LP) - VOGUE |
| MANGOUS YE (A TOM MOULTON MIX) BLACK SOUL - 12" - BEAM JUNCTION |
| BASA BASA
______________ Also known as BASA BASA SOUNDZ or the BASA BASA EXPERIENCE, this Nigerian group recorded some albums in the late 1970's that were popular in the Lagos disco scene. The Sofrito label would offer amazing remixes of their song "African Soul Power": |
| AFRICAN SOUL POWER (ATLANTIC CONVEYOR RE-WORK) BASA BASA - TROPICAL DISCOTHEQUE (EP) - SOFRITO SPECIALS |
| BLACK BROTHERS (A TOM MOULTON MIX) BLACK SOUL - 12" - BEAM JUNCTION |
| OZILA 2001 OZILA - OZILA 2001 (LP) - VOGUE |
| BLACK SOUL MUSIC BLACK SOUL - BRASIL AFRICA (LP) - VOGUE |
| LOVE BEAT JO BISSO - MADEMOISELLE (LP) - JOBISS INTERNATIONAL |
| YE KE YE KE (MORY'S HOUSE REMIX) MORY KANTE - 12" - BARCLAY |
| OH, CIOLILI ZANGA ZANGA - 12" - JONATAHAN |
| TAMA (GOLD COAST REMIX) MORY KANTE - 12" - BARCLAY |
| I'M IN LOVE NANA LOVE - DISCO DOCUMENTARY - FULL OF FUNK (LP) - NESTOR |
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Great funk!
1:06 PM, December 16th, 2017