I like Cymande and Fela Kuti, what else should I listen to?

Just a quick recomemndation thread, really love Cymande and Fela Kuti and wondering where to go for more of this kind of music or in the case of Fela Kuti specific album recommendations would be cool cos there are so many records.

Other than that just general groovy stuff like those would be great, long wig outs are a plus. Sorry if this is v vague...

http://www.cduniverse.com/search/xx/music/pid/6821908/a/World+Psychedelic+Classics,+Vol+3:+Love's+A+Real+Thing.htm

Regarding Fela, you can't go wrong with this two-album CD:

http://www.discogs.com/Fela-Open-Close-Afrodisiac/release/1938760

It pretty much represents everything that's great about him, from more traditional Afro music to killer extended funk grooves to gentler melodic stuff. But basically you can't gor wrong with any of his 70s albums, they all sound kinda same but almost all of them are good. In my opinion the best ones, besides the above, are He Miss Road, Zombie, London Scene, Shakara, Expensive Shit, Coffin for Head of State, and Music Many of Colours. The last one is a collab with Roy Ayers' band, so it has a different, kinda discoish vibe compared to the others.

thanks for the tips guys, michael that's on spotify which is handy!

Sorry, that should read "Music of Many Colours".

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Nigeria-70-definitive-story-1970s/dp/B001QSN7LO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1271591828&sr=8-1

Funkadelic too!

The various Soundway Nigeria/Ghana Special comps are glorious. They put out a sampler for Record Store Day - Afro Tropical Soundz Vol1 - which you should still be able to get hold of.
There's also a 2-CD Nigeria 70 comp that Fopp are flogging for a fiver.

my Fela spotify playlist: http://open.spotify.com/user/emailnp/playlist/6hFFYBDBwfHOVPJWHdMXbJ

Er, that leads to a Matthew Herbert playlist, did you post the wrong link?

oops that's a matthew herbert one! might use that too tho!

whoops! here it is:

http://open.spotify.com/user/emailnp/playlist/3AViNwTUGg3gQNPyEUEaAz

Nigeria Disco Funk Special: The Sound Of The Underground Lagos Dancefloor 1974-1979

http://open.spotify.com/user/emailnp/playlist/44LHKZ1yw8DVJDUuNOCLIO

such good weather for this stuff!

I've never (knowingly) heard any Cymande: what's a good starting point?

wikipedia:
Cymande - I guess one of these:
# 1972 - Cymande
# 1973 - Second Time Round
# 1974 - Promised Heights
# 1981 - Arrival

which is best?

Here's a Spotify playlist of my favourite Fela tunes:

http://open.spotify.com/user/tuomaskuomas/playlist/7kU0Qb8XXRIAWXzUULHveP

Tuomas, I opened that playlist excitedly and it was empty!

there's a two disc cymande anthology which is amazing.

this is one of my fave tunes, unreal atmosphere!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0kzJ3aXSo48

Tuomas, I opened that playlist excitedly and it was empty!

That's weird, the link works for me. Does everyone else have the same problem?

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000003QI0

http://www.amazon.com/Expensive-Shit-He-Miss-Road/dp/B00000JOEY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1271604194&sr=1-1

Artists similar to Fela Kuti...

http://www.amazon.com/Afro-Disco-Beat-Tony-Allen/dp/B000VEA2TO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1271604233&sr=1-1

Fela Kuti: S&D

anything by Orchestra Baobab

http://www.amazon.com/Budos-Band/dp/B000BEZOSS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1271604377&sr=1-1

expensive shit / he miss road is my favourite fela, if you don't already have that ronan. also, the ginger baker/fela album is relentlessly great.

http://www.amazon.com/Africafunk-Original-Sound-1970s-Africa/dp/B00000J7FX/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1271604437&sr=1-1

http://www.amazon.com/The-Syliphone-Years/dp/B000QQU44K/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=dmusic&qid=1271604635&sr=8-1

^cannot recommend highly enough

http://www.amazon.com/Vodoun-Effect-Benins-Obscure-Label/dp/B001HAWZAU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1271606304&sr=1-1

http://www.amazon.com/African-Roots-Black-Scratch-Perry/dp/B000F2CC0Y/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1271606387&sr=1-1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XOzF8bN-PTg

I've wondered about this for a while myself. I understand that Fela merged a lot of genres and invented a wholly unique sound but whenever I tell people I love his stuff and want to hear more like it, they can only recommend for me more Fela or like Tony Allen or someone else who played with him. And at this point I already have and love all of that stuff. Was there anything else in Africa in his wake that was heavily influenced by him that I should seek out? Or how about any contemporaries with a similar sound? Was he the only one mixing american funk with african sounds?

Buy the reissues on Soundway and Analog Africa. Start with the Orchestre Poly-Rhytmo stuff.

I've been going through the african music at the community radio station and found some great stuff.
King Sunny Ade brought a Fela influence into the Juju music thing. His seventies shit is incredible, so is the early Island stuff.
I found a copy of the Atakora Manu "Disco Hi Life" record that someone (noise board?) once posted an amazing song from (Palm Wine Seller). And I found Prince Thony Adex and his Sedico System (Master Juju Guitarist no. 1 according to the sleeve) SUNNY ADE JUDGEMENT SPECIAL. This thing rips.

All of the comps that have been mentioned have TONS of stuff that sounds like Fela but isn't Fela.

^for googling purposes, that record is spelled Disko Hi Life

As has been stated, there are a fuckload of killer Afro-funk compilations floating around from the last couple of years. The whole Nigeria Special series is worth your time: Nigeria Special, Nigeria Special 2, Nigeria Rock Special, Nigeria Disco Funk Special and Nigeria Afrobeat Special. You should also get Nigeria 70 and Nigeria 70: Lagos Jump.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AL81kWcAIeI&feature=related

Ian that track rules. It's got the psychedelic guitar solo (with nice panning) over that afrobeat. Who is that?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QgSbqNLiMBo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8qTV2MKO_E

OSIBISA C/D
Cymande

Who is that?

Ofege. Great record. Ian's store reissued it

http://www.academyannex.com/blog/?p=40

Did anyone mention the Ghana Soundz comps? think Ofege has a track on Ghana Soundz Vol. 1

http://www.thegoldbrick.net/wp-content/uploads/2007/07/ghana-soundz-vol-1.jpg

Next month Soundway is reissuing The Kusum Beat, an album by the Ghanaian band Sweet Talks (who are on the Ghana Soundz comps).

this is closer to cymande than to fela, but the assagai album is awesome:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QYhHbPG97bM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PX-z9dHaTG4&feature=related

Ofo the Black Company!!!

Since the Cymande album contains some reggae vibes, the Cedric Im Brooks & The Light of Saba reissue could suit your needs.

i love seun kuti's 'many things' record, straight up afrobeat but with a really muscular brass band-ish sound.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QCSWGTULDEQ

http://open.spotify.com/album/7HkNqcidT8Y7gQRXJvL5QH

the sylophone years, recommended upthread is so so amazing! you all need this, haven't enjoyed a record this much in ages.

syliphone*

you may want to investigate Ras Michael & Sons of Negus - Rastafari Dub for more of the Nyabinghi drumming / rastaman chants.

Ian that track rules. It's got the psychedelic guitar solo (with nice panning) over that afrobeat. Who is that?

Question was about Ofege Tried To Love lp, answer is guitarist from Blo! who was brought in to add guitar to an otherwise finished lp.

Subsequently I'm wonderiong what the rest of Ofege's lps are like since they won't presumably have the same guitar. Unless in a repeat of the 70s Isley Brothers' material featuring a Hendrix influenced guitarist where the 60s band had the pre-fame Jimi, one of Ofege's teenage members started sounding like the Blo! guy.

Ofo the Black Company!!

the track on Love Is a Real Thing is great. Is there much more around?
Struck me as a black African MC5 or Hawkwind/spacerock band, so I'm desperate to hear more

I'm pretty sure that's all there is - I've looked high and low for more and never turned up anything. that track is amazing tho

what can you tell me about Osibisa? I have their album 'Heads' inherited from somewhere or other,but online reviews say it's a weaker album. Worth investigating further?

I only know the first album which is really good. John Peel was a big fan of theirs, thats where i first heard of them