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LP
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NIGHT 001LP
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2019 release. Seun Kuti and Egypt 80 cut direct-to-disc session for Night Dreamer debut. Seun Kuti, youngest son of Afrobeat legend Fela Kuti, and leader of his father's Egypt 80 band, entered the Artone Studio in Haarlem, Holland, in 2019 to cut a Direct-to-Disc session in a single take. The first to be released on the Night Dreamer label, the session brought some of the foremost Afrobeat musicians in the world together, many of whom cut their teeth playing with Fela himself. Playing without the safety of multiple takes Seun and Egypt80 cut all four tracks (two per side) in a single take without rehearsal on the second day, improvising with all the focus and relaxation of a band in the midst of a world tour. A snapshot of a legendary outfit at the top of their game.
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2LP
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BEC 5772835
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With the mighty From Africa With Fury: Rise, Seun Anikulapo Kuti picks up the mantle as undisputed champion and true prince of the Afrobeat movement, heading up Egypt 80, the extraordinary combo first fronted by his renowned father, Fela Kuti. The album follows Kuti's critically praised debut, 2008's Many Things, which was unanimously hailed for continuing Fela's musical legacy. From Africa With Fury: Rise sees Kuti finding his own idiosyncratic voice as songwriter, singer, and band leader, its songs and sonic approach marked by provocative edge and mature self-assurance. Produced by Brian Eno, John Reynolds, and Kuti, with additional production by Godwin Logie and mixed by John Reynolds and Tim Oliver, the album captures Seun and Egypt 80's extraordinary power, fraught with the scorching rhythms and kinetic funk energy that has earned the band -- as ever, under the leadership of alto saxophonist Lekan Animashaun -- worldwide acclaim as one of today's most incendiary live acts. With Kuti's booming vocal stylings at the forefront, songs like "African Soldiers" and "Mr. Big Thief" are fueled by call-and-response hooks, breakneck tempos, and combative, topical lyricism which firmly sets the classic Egypt 80 sound in the modern era. Eno, Reynolds, and Kuti sought tension and release in the Rio recordings, incorporating breathing room and sonic space into the intricate rhythms and melodies. Further tracks -- performed by Eno, Reynolds, guitarist Justin Adams (Robert Plant, Tinariwen), keyboardist Julian Wilson (Grand Drive, Belinda Carlisle), and guitarist Leo Abrahams (Florence + The Machine, Brett Anderson, Bryan Ferry) -- were cut to lend further musical flavors to Egypt 80's archetypal Afrobeat.
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