More Afrobeat In America

By Marc Bruner

We did a piece a couple of months ago on Afrobeat in America - well, here's some funky American Afrobeat releases I've been listening to lately.

The first is Superkali, a band from Seattle that plays an innovative and inviting mix of afrobeat, funk and jazz. It's a great example of how American bands are taking Fela's legacy in a new and exciting direction.

The second is Boston Afrobeat Society's The Superpowers: Revival Time. Adam Clark, founder of the band, explains that "one of the things we’ve been trying to do is keep the Afrobeat essentials, and work our own melodies and ideas into that and improvise with the forms of the songs.” This talented and creative band recently won Best World Act in the Phoenix Best Music Poll. I really dig their new CD and here's a cool video of one of their live performances.

The third is The Afromotive: Scare Tactics, a thundering 9-piece ensemble from Asheville, North Carolina. Their hard-hitting new disk crosses various musical and ethnic boundaries and is sure to get your feet moving.

Finally, there's Albino!, a raucous 12-piece ensemble from San Francisco that plays heavy, heavy Afrobeat. With politically charged tunes like "Democracy" and "Soldier Don't Speak," their new disk entitled "Rhino" is both thought-provoking and, according to the SF Weekly, "ass-inspiriting." Right on! Watch here for yourself.

All of these bands offer something new and special for fans of funk and Afrobeat music. And be sure to check out our blog for more posts about Afrobeat in America.