Afro Funk & Bongo Groove

In case you hadn't noticed yet, the 70s are my favorite years musically. At that time, North American Funk bands were ubiquitous, and the sound made by the likes of James Brown, Sly & the Family Stone, and George Clinton's Parliament & Funkadelic was widely available, all over the world. Funk was created by Jazz musicians eager to explore new dimensions in music, who decided that rhythm had to be put forward in order to drive the music; but the rhythm itself had come a long way. The soulful groove found in all jazz, blues, gospel from which the Funk originated comes from the heart of Africa, and from its traditional percussions & ancient rhythms.

When North-American musicians of African descent started looking into contemporary African music in the late sixties and early seventies - they discovered that the legacy had gone a full circle, with African musicians being directly inspired by the music they were making at the time. Hugh Masekela, Manu Dibango and of course Fela Kuti are good examples of musicians from who first started to embrace the rhythmic structures of jazz and Funk, blending them with the traditional rhythms of African culture. In 1972, when North America discovered Manu Dibango's album "Soul Makossa", the term "world music" was born, and Afro Funk was at its best.

The following selection of music gathers artists from several continents, all connected together through their African roots and their use of the traditional rhythms. Many of these bands were not based in Africa, but in Europe, North and South America, and many of them, composed by immigrants, who would join forces to play funk music, so popular at the time.

Cymande and Demon Fuzz, both signed in the early 70's on the Janus Label, which were seminal bands in the Afro-psychedelic scene, were both based in London, and regrouped musicians from African, Caribbean and European descent. More than just funk, these bands blended psychedelic soul, heavy-dub, progressive rock, Afro-jazz and black acid rock in a way no other band ever achieved. They met quite modest success in their day, but have now become staples of the genre and highly influent on today's music.

Ben & the Platano Group was a legendary funk ensemble based in Paris, who used to be the orchestra for the famous Cabaret called "Le Lido". They recorded one single album in 1970 before the band leader was interned in a psychiatric hospital. Their afro-cuban percussion driven album "Paris Soul" became legendary, and if you're lucky enough to own one of the 300 original copies that came out on the Barclay label, and would accept to send it to me... I would be for ever thankful :)

Lafayette Afro Rock Band, who later changed their name to Ice, were an American funk band from Long Island who re-located to Paris, France; where they recorded some legendary Afro-Funk albums. At one time, they even were the backing band for French popstar Nino Ferrer.

Oneness of Juju who are still active today, were formed in the culturally and spiritually aware African-American community of Washington DC. The two songs in this compilation come from their first album "African Rhythms", a mix of percussion, vocal jazz and Afro Funk, lead by the Sax-player Plunky Nakabinde.

Hot stuff Band is a Brazilian super-band, made up of Azimuth augmented by drummer Wilson das Neves. Others in this selection include Dutch musician Tony Sherman, who's parents immigrated to Europe from the West Indies; Afro-latin funk percussionist Candido, "The man with a thousand fingers" (in the picture above); Marius Cultier from the French West Indies, and others you will just have to discover for yourself...

Tracks include:
01. Manu Dibango - Aphrodite Shake, 1972
02. Macumba - Sultana, 1971
03. Cymande - The Message, 1973
04. Tony Sherman - The Swinger, 1974
05. Hugh Masekela The Boy's Doin' It, 1975
06. Dick Khoza - African Jive, 1976
07. Marius Cultier - Ouelele, 1975
08. Ice - Racubah, 1978
09. Matata - Wanna Do My Thing, 1972
10. Oneness of Juju - African Rhythms [45 version], 1975
11. Manu Dibango - African Battle, 1972
12. The Beginning of the End - Funky Nassau (Part II), 1971
13. Ben & the Platano Group - Platano Split, 1970
14. Demon Fuzz - Mercy (variation N.1), 1972
15. Candido - I Shouldn't Believe, 1970
16. Oneness of Juju - Poo Too, 1975
17. Hot Stuff Band - Juju Man, 1976
18. Ashantis - Safari, 1977
19. Mombasa - African Hustle, 1976
20. Lafayette Afro Rock Band - Hihache, 1974


This is not just funk, it's not afro-beat, it's Afro Funk baby.

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Soul Funk Sample Heaven

Here is a welcome welcome gift to the world of Rare Grooves.
These songs have all been picked from albums that every record collector is searching for. Favorites for samplers and hip-hop producers, these tracks have all been sampled numerous times. I'm sure you'll recognize many of these if you have ever listened to an album from Public Enemy, De La Soul, The Beastie Boys or a Tribe Called Quest.

For instance, you'll instantly recognize the Honeydrippers' "Impeach the president", sampled by the entire world (Run DMC, Gang Starr, Ice Cube, EPMD, NWA, the Wu-tang, Shaggy, just to name a few).

Some of these Soul & Funk gems came out to meet little commercial success in their time, and have since been rediscovered and awarded the praise they deserve.

A few examples:

Eugene McDaniel's album "Headless heroes of the Apocalypse" was released in 1971, but because of its angry socially criticism, Atlantic records were asked by Nixon's vice president to stop marketing the album! Still, it was re-discovered by later generations, and The Beastie Boys' "Paul Boutique" and Tribe's "The Low End Theory" albums heavily sample this record.

Syl Johnson used to record for HI Records in Memphis, which was also Al Green's label. He spent most of his career in Al Green's shadow, both commercially and artistically, and had to wait until the early 90's sample craze to be regarded as a classic Soul Front Man. "Different Strokes" is an intense display of Soul - one wonders how it could have been forgotten for almost 20 years until De La Soul sampled it in the song "Magic Number".

Billy Brooks, when he recorded "Windows of the Mind" in 1974, was a obscure session trumpet player from LA, who would record in studio for Ray Charles' band. This album, and the track "40 Days" specifically, have since been sampled by Tribe Called Quest, and many others afterwards, becoming one of the most sought after "Private Funk" records.

Magnum, are an early 70's Funk band that only recorded one album "Fully Loaded" in 74, which went completely unnoticed. Mostly because of the amount of Soul & Funk bands at the time, and because the established getting most of the media attention. 25 years later, they finally were re-issued, after samples from the album had been used in hip-hop production, and the original LP now goes for over $500 on e-Bay...

Lafayette Afro Rock Band were a Soul and Funk outfit, from Long Island, NY - who decided to relocate to Paris, France - given the number of funk groups in the US at the time. They first recorded under the name Ice, and drew a great following in the Barbes neighborhood of Paris. They also backed French popular singers such as Nino Ferrer... The opening sax line of their track "Darkest Light", from the 1975 album "Malik", has been sampled by almost everybody, including Public Enemy, Wreckx'n'Effect and Janet Jackson.

The Mighty Ryeders were a mighty Funk band from Miami, active in the late 70s but not very well known anywhere else. The album came out and sold few, but has been cherished by samplers and collectors ever since... The song "Evil vibrations" has been made legendary by De La Soul's sample in "A Roller Skating Jam Named Saturdays". I've seen this one sell over $1000 on e-Bay, and it's on top of any serious collector's wish list.

24 Carat Black is another example of a recording that completely fell through the cracks. Released in 73 on Stax (also the label of Isaac Hayes & Otis Reading)- the album "Ghetto : Misfortune's Wealth" is a masterpiece. But it only was granted this much respect after the hip-hop community made it theirs through intense sampling.

Some other tracks in this selection are ever rarer, and were never ever released other than on 45rpm singles. Trying to find the tracks from The Chefs, and The fabulous originals is impossible.

The tracklist is:
01. Bob & Earl - Harlem Shuffle, 1963
02. Syl Johnson - Is It Because I'm Black, 1969
03. Al Hirt - Harlem Hendoo, 1967
04.The Chefs - Mr. Machine, 1971
05. Syl Johnson - Different Strokes, 1969
06. Melvin Van Peebles ft. Earth, Wind & Fire - Hoppin' John, 1971
07. Eugene McDaniels - The Lord Is Back, 1971
08. Earth, Wind & Fire - Bad Tune, 1971
09. The Fabulous Originals - It Ain't Fair But It's Fun, 1971
10. Jimmy Castor Bunch - Its Just Begun, 1972
11. Ernie Hines - Our Generation, 1972
12. The Honeydrippers - Impeach the President, 1973
13. 24 Carat Black - Ghetto Misfortune's Wealth, 1973
14. Billy Brooks - Fourty Days, 1974
15. The Heath Brothers - Smiling Billy suite pt 2, 1975
16. Cymande - Brothers on the Slide, 1974
17. Lafayette Afro Rock Band - Darkest Light Band,1975
18. Magnum - Evolution, 1975
19. Travis Biggs - Tibetian Serenity, 1979
20. The Mighty Ryeders - Evil vibrations, 1978


Welcome to the world of rare grooves.

I want to get this compilation of soul & funk gems >>here
No thanks, I'd rather go and buy all the original records because I'm filthy rich >>here