Amanaz - Africa : African Psych… did you know it existed?

Well, until I stumbled onto this LP, I would never have thought Africans could have set their minds onto this peculiar genre… No offense meant, but this has a very strange feel to it. Although dating from 1975, it has the hallmarks of period end-60's psych, full-on fuzz, droning songs, while maintaining a very "African" feel. This is not Afrofunk, it is a bunch of guys sitting under the baobab tree and who decide to make music after listening to way too many pirate radio stations. Obviously, the radio programs in Zambia were a few years behind the US and European trends. At the time when the mainland was getting into progressive music, these guys were making period 67-68 psych. I forgot to tell you they sound doped up most of the time… as in "too many spliffs, brother".
Apart for a couple of songs that could be passed over, this LP has a timeless quality and will insidiously creep on you.

Love it or hate it: here's african fuzz!

Twilightzone is back!

Here is the new address: http://twilightzone-rideyourpony.blogspot.com/

Rideyourpony-twillightzone: R.I.P. RYP

Rideyourpony-twighlightzone.blogspot.com appears to have been
shot down in flames by Blogger…
Bad news for everybody. Since I was DLing everyday from RYP,
I have possibly the largest archive of his shares.
As soon as this Afrofunk thread reaches the end of my (small) collection, I will try and put up the 60's, New Orleans, Soul and Rockabilly stuff I enjoyed from rideyourpony. I also have most of Gyro's Amazing Compendium of US garage (over 130 volumes!)
So long RYP!

Unknown Afrofunk LP – Manu Dibango possibly?

I might be stretching your patience with this one… very tribal feel. I think I found it on a russian blog and even then it was labeled as "Unknown Artist - Unknown Album". At first it sounded so modern that I thought it was out of the 90's England. After a bit of research, the sound is analogic for sure, so all the breaks you hear were performed live… The chanted intros are possibly from the Eastern Coast (Kenya? South Africa?). The sax parts make think of Manu Dibango, somebody who is always stretching the genres, so that's how I tagged it. Would love to know more about it – there's a 1-month Rapidshare subscription for anybody who can shed some light on this album.

Meanwhile: Whey! Here it is.

Africa Funk - Return To The Original Sound Of 1970s Funky Africa

This fantastic introduction to the African Funk sound was what I'd originally had in mind as a post… then I thought a short refresher's course in American funk might be needed. All major artists are featured here from Manu Dibango to Fela and Tony Allen.
The songs run the whole gamut from James-Brown Carbon copies (Matata) to "real" Afro-funk (Fela et al). You can also spot Blaxploitation touches and soul influences all over them. The killer track is, in time-honored compilation-style, the first by the Rwenzori's: an absolute killer. To answer a frequent question, sadly there is NO other known track by these guys, only an EP was ever produced. This comp will be the start of a series of Afro-funk or Afro-psych in the next week. I was really surprised by the quality of what I found, so stay tuned for more weirdness from the oldest continent.

Once this series of posts will be over, I'll start a 20-plus volume series centered around Garage and Psych. This was intended as a beginner's guide to the genre but soon evolved into a encyclopedia. Should be interesting for both beginners and die-hard fans alike.
Shake your booty to the sound of Africa.