Nigeria

It's been a while since my last post on an African country. This time it's time to plunge into the music of Nigeria. This country is mostly known for the birth of Afrobeat and African funk. Most of the bands on this list actually can be described with these genres, but there's also some reggae, R&B and 
Jùjú. As a bass player, I have a weak spot for wild funk music where bass has a central role in both the rhythm and melody. I was first drawn to Nigerian music after being introduced to Fela Kuti's 70's albums, which even now are among the best albums in this kind of genre. My previous knowledge of Nigerian music wasn't great, but I'm quite happy with this two and a half hour playlist of mine. Enjoy the wild rhythm music of Nigeria. Here's the playlist: Nigeria




Fela Kuti
Fela Kuti is undoubtedly the most legendary Nigerian musician. He has played with many bands, but the most well known must be his Afrika 70. These wild funk jams gave the distinctive sound to afrobeat and most of the people who are not really that familiar with African music still know and appreciate Fela Kuti's brilliant music.

Seun Kuti
Seun Kuti is the youngest son of Fela Kuti. He plays very similar music to that of his father. He even leads his father's old band Egypt 80. His music is all about the rhythm, but I also immensely enjoy the wild saxophone solos and pumping basslines in his songs.

William Onyeabor
This artist has gotten some new following after the release of his 2013 album Who Is William Onyeabor? His music is a mix of psychedelia, afrobeat and disco. The music is very danceable and the use of strange instruments is much appreciated by me.

Aṣa
This singer was born in Paris and has also recorded her first album there, but she grew up in Nigeria, so that's why I'm presenting her in this list. Her music has influences from R&B and pop-music, but the result is swinging beautifully in a similar sound to Amy Winehouse.

Femi Kuti
Femi is the oldest son of the legendary Fela Kuti. His music is a bit more modern sounding than his brother Seun's music and it has more similarities to latin beats. As such, his music is not as much to my liking as his brother's. Still, he has some great and funky songs to dance to.

Monomono
Monomono plays funky and psychedelic afrobeat with great rhythms and vocal harmonies. The sound is fairly old, but as such it's really authentic and organic. The lead guitars are innovative and the use of rock organs is fantastic.

BLO
This band is probably the closest link to Western funk tradition. The melodic electric bass is jumping on top of disco style funk songs. The brass instruments are sharp and accurate. They also use some strange organ sounds.

The Funkees
The Funkees is one of my favourite bands on this list. Their songs have wild and danceable rhythms and the melodies have dark tones. The use of weird organ sounds is quite amazing while the rhythm section does its part perfectly on the background.

The Lijadu Sisters
These identical twin sisters make soulful and funky music with excellent vocal harmonies. The bass lines are not in your face, but still make an impression with their accuracy and sound. The guitar paints beautiful solos above the rhythmic pulses.

Tunji Oyelana
This singer's music is quite traditional African rhythm music, but there are very enjoyable saxophone lines and rolling drum rhythms in his music. The sounds are a bit outdated, but as historical piece of music, this works quite well.

Bala Miller and the Great Music Pirameeds of Africa
This music sounds old and I would prefer a bit more modern sounds, but still the songs are catchy and enjoyable. Especially the rock organs bring that strange space age sound that this music needs. The brass instruments do their job well here.

Action 13
The congas, electric guitar and rock organ take the main stage in the sounds of Action 13. Their lyrics are really political and the dark and intense rhythms strengthen that impression. There are a lot of psychedelic elements to this band as well.

Tony Allen
Tony Allen is one of the legends in Nigerian music. His music is based on strong rhythms and funky beats. He is a drummer himself, so this is not surprising. Especially for all you drummers out there, this is really interesting stuff to listen to.

Segun Bucknor
Segun Bucknor's music sounds a bit outdated with its sounds, but there is strong political vibe there that I find appealing. The background is mostly made by drums, guitar, bass and brass instruments. There are some strange similarities to the great Jimi Hendrix in the way he sings.

Kola Ogunkoya
This artist's music is definitely great for dancing. There are strong beats created by pounding drums and minimalist bass. Above all soars a crazy and all over the place jazzy saxophone. The singing voice is deep and close to spoken word style.

Orlando Julius and His Afro-Sounders
This orchestra has the main focus in brilliant brass instruments. The drums and bass make their job in the background, but the main stage is definitely reserved for brass instruments. Guitar is only there to give the higher sounds to the tempo.

Ofo the Black Company
This psychedelia band has influences from reggae, afrobeat and most definitely from psychedelic rock. The tempo is slower than with many of these other artists, but the intensity is still very high. The organ sounds are fantastic.

Sahara All Stars Band Jos.
This band has great emphasis on sharp brass instruments, but the guitars also get the main stage from time to time. The lyrics sound quite political on the first listen. The guitars are pounding some wahwah sounds.

Afro Cult Foundation
Afro Cult Foundation has a slower and calmer sound than many of the other bands on this list. Saxophone is definitely the most important instrument here, but the bass lines are also really interesting and organs bring that great jamming quality to the concoction.

Joni Haastrup
Haastrup's sounds are more modern than those of other artists on this list. There are great echoes in the guitars and they are doing some great job by the way. The songs have a dark tone in their melodies and the rhythms make you nod your head immediately.

King Sunny Ade
This world music classic plays beautiful beats with quite a unique sound. King Sunny Ade is a multi-instrumentalist, so there are some interesting sounds in his music. His music is mostly characterised through the wild percussion rhythms topped with quiet and calm vocals.

Nneka
Nneka plays quiet and soulful reggae music with hints of R&B and 70's soul. The rhythm is quite calm, but there is intensity in her way of singing. The production is very modern, but in a classy way. The lyrics sound quite political.

Majek Fashek
This reggae artist makes music that is quite traditional in its reggae rhythms and style of singing. Some of the sounds bring to mind the legendary Monkey Island computer game songs. His vocals resemble the legendary Bob Marley quite a lot and the lyrics also have some similarities in their political focus.

Sir Shina Peters and his International Stars
This music is what the Nigerian funk is all about. Excellent rhythms, pulsing basslines and distinctive Nigerian vocals. The guitars and bass work together to make melodic riffs on top of a range of percussion.

Gasper Lawal
Again, the rhythm and percussion take the main stage, but there are many more enjoyable things in there. The stage piano and vocal harmonies give the music great melodies and guitars and brass instruments spice it up.

Sonny Okosun
Sonny Okosun's sunny beats are accompanied by quite cheesy organ sounds. This music is a bit too happy for my taste, but it's definitely well made and it's a nice way to end the list into a more upbeat and happy sound.