Music / Styles A–Z / Africa, Europe and Asia · 26 of 35
Afrobeat
Afrobeat, or Afrofunk, was developed in Nigeria in the late 1960s by Fela Kuti with the drummer Tony Allen, joining Yoruba and Ghanaian music with funk, jazz and soul.
- Where and when
- Nigeria, late 1960s
- Tempo
- Not stated in our sources
- Played on
- Horns and saxophones, bass, guitar, drums, keyboards, Hammond organ, percussion, chanted vocals
What it is
Afrobeat, also called Afrofunk, is a West African style that joins Yoruba and Ghanaian music, highlife among it, with American funk, jazz and soul. It focuses on chanted vocals, complex interlocking rhythms and percussion. Fela Kuti developed it in Nigeria in the late 1960s with the drummer Tony Allen. (It is not the same as afrobeats, the later pop umbrella.)
For the producer. Fela's band was unusual in carrying two baritone saxophones where most groups used one. Big bands, long instrumental solos and complex, jazzy rhythms are its marks.
The records that made it
From the lesson Africa, Europe and Asia, where the sources are listed · links open a search
- 1977ZombieFela Kuti and Africa 70 · A massive success; its attack on the military led to a raid.
- 1981Africa: Centre of the WorldRoy Ayers · From his collaboration with afrobeat musicians.
Afrobeat in this month’s records
New releases the press we read wrote about, tagged afrobeat on MusicBrainz · updated with every build