Some words and pics from Alan Dearling
The crowd – the party people – came to dance at the Trades Club in Hebden Bridge on Saturday. And the 8-piece band, the London Afrobeat Collective, provided them with a hi-energy, hi-life set of grooves to jump, shimmy and jive to. Very much a tribute to Nigeria’s Fela Kuti and Africa ’70… life-affirming, immensely danceable African and Latino rhythms…
Well done to Nicky and the other organisers…the ¡AY!KALIMBA! crew … at The Trades for their third instalment this year of bringing music from around the world.
From Europe to Africa, Glastonbury to Lagos, this 8-strong collective from England, Italy, France, Congo, Argentina and New Zealand combine traditional Afrobeat and hi-life with funk, jazz, Latin and dub to deliver party music born of their truly global DNA.
Personally, I was keen to see and hear the London Afrobeat Collective having watched Fela Kuti’s musical caravan, including drummers Tony Allen and Ginger Baker play live. I also saw Tony play one of his last festivals at Ozora in Hungary just before the Covid lockdown. Sadly, Tony died in 2020 back in Lagos, Nigeria.
The organisers of the Trades’ event told me that it was a pleasure for them to bring the band to the Calderdale Valley in Yorkshire, saying:
“The Collective are a regular hit on the UK and Europe touring circuit and celebrated for their raucous energy, heavy dance grooves and conscious lyrics.
Bringing afrobeat dancing into the 21st Century, festival favourites, London Afrobeat Collective, blend the best of Fela Kuti’s original philosophy with a world of diverse current sounds. Taking inspiration from the Afrobeat father as well as such artists as Ebo Taylor, Parliament, Funkadelic and Havana d’Primera, and they certainly succeeded in getting lots of feet dancing.”
DJ support before and after was provided by Chris Holt (Tropical Disco), JoMo (Tribo Tropicale) along with Cutterz, Joe Black and Nicky General, and the team are dedicated to bringing the finest music from around the world to keep the dance-floor moving all night.
Sung in Lingala by lead vocalist, Juanita Euka, ‘Topesa Esengo Na Motema’ (Let Us Give Joy To The Heart) is a call to live life to the fullest and do whatever it takes to live with joy in your heart, even in the face of adversity. Influenced by artists such as Juanita’s late uncle Franco Luambo as well as Pat Thomas and Fela Kuti, it’s from their album ‘Esengo’. If you want to delve more deeply into the annals of African Hi-life and Ju-ju music, it is worth checking out Chief Sunny Ade (Adenyi Adegeye), Kwame Gyasi and Ebenezer Obey, cross-over bands like Oneness of Ju-ju, and jazz greats such as Pharaoh Sanders. These styles of music are particularly associated with West Africa, especially Ghana and Nigeria. In much of the music there is a mix of guitars, drums and brass instruments creating pulsating, infectious dance rhythms.
Here’s the video from the London Afrobeat Collective’s single, ‘Topesa Esengo Na Motema’:
UNESCO video about African Highlife music and dance:
.