Various Artists - Nigeria 70 - LP

Strut repress one of the all-time classic compilations of Afro-funk and Afrobeat for 2016, the first volume of the mighty Nigeria 70 series. Originally released in 2001, the album followed the death of Fela Kuti and a renewed interest in original Afrobeat among younger club-goers. Put together over a three-week trip to Lagos, it documented for the first time the explosive era when domestic bands fused traditional highlife and juju with funk, soul, rock and disco. Alongside two cuts by Fela Kuti, Nigeria 70 shone the spotlight on the incredible musicianship of artists like Segun Bucknor, Joni Haastrup and his Monomono band, Orlando Julius, saxophonist Peter King, “Guitar Boy” Victor Uwaifo, Lijadu Sisters and quirky keyboard wizard William Onyeabor among many others. Spread over 3LPs, the original edition also included a one-hour audio documentary featuring exclusive interviews with many original musicians and industry figures from the ‘70s scene, narrated by Wunmi. As well as being a valuable document of an under-rated era, Nigeria 70 was one of the first crossover albums to dig deep into the African music archives and effectively market the music to a new online audience hungry for rare grooves and unique dancefloor sounds. Since Nigeria 70, this market has widened hugely with labels like Soundway, Analog Africa and Hot Casa all working tirelessly to document rare African beats. This new pressing of the Nigeria 70 3LP set is limited to 500 copies and features the full CD version and CD audio documentary as a bonus within the package. Full artwork is also featured including John Armstrong’s extensive sleeve note history alongside rare photos.