Red Hot + Fela

Red Hot + Fela will be released on Knitting Factory Records on October 8th, 2013.

Fela Kuti never shied away from politics in his music, and neither does Baloji on his cover of the pioneering Nigerian musician’s song “Buy Africa."

Fela Kuti lives on. Since his death in 1997, he’s been transformed from musician’s musician with a cult-like following to a worldwide musical icon. 
The last four years have seen the Broadway hit FELA! win Tony Awards and tour the world, Knitting Factory Records reissue the prolific Nigerian firebrand’s back catalogue, and now, Red Hot + Fela.

Red Hot is an AIDS awareness organization currently partnering with cross-genre collaborators representing rock, hip-hop, Americana, and classical for a forthcoming album release of Fela Kuti compositions, Red Hot + Fela (Knitting Factory, October 8, 2013 ).
 The release includes classic Fela anthems like “Lady” recorded by tUnE-yArDs, Questlove, Angelique Kidjo, and Akua Naru, “Zombie” recorded by Spoek Mathambo, Cerebral Cortex, and Frown, and “Trouble Sleep Yanga Wake Am” recorded by My Morning Jacket, Merrill Garbus (from tUnE-yArDs), and Brittany Howard (from Alabama Shakes) and “Sorrow, Tears & Blood” reworked by the Kronos Quartet along with TV On The Radios’ Kyp Malone and Tune Adembimpe.

The partnership between KFR and Red Hot is particularly relevant to Fela Kuti, given that he died of an AIDS-related illness himself. To date, Red Hot has released 18 albums and produced several concert and film series to raise money and awareness to fight AIDS around the world. They have partnered with countless local, national, and international AIDS organizations, all of whom have benefited from releases like Red Hot + Fela.

If you are interested in promoting a Felabration in your hometown in honor Fela Kuti's 75th birthday on October 15, 2013 please e-mail: felabration2013@gmail.com

UNVEILING ISEDALE AFRICA PROJECT

The ISEDALE AFRICA PROJECT is a socio cultural organization, out to promote the culture and tradition of the Yorubas and the African continent, through Music, Dance and Creative Art.
The project runs an eighteen man band and a dance troupe, called ISEDALE & Di COWRIES led by a highly talented artiest by name; OLALEKAN OKANLAWON aka “ISEDALE” the band consist of trained musicians from Peter King College of music and traditionally trained percussionist on Bata, Gangan, Agogo etc.
ISEDALE & Di COWRIES plays a genre of music that consist of Traditional African Folks (TAF) and a fusion of Jazz, with spectacular dance performance by the dance troupe.

The band have since performed at the French Cultural Center Lagos, the Osun Osogbo festival Osogbo, guest artist at the YOMAFA award night organized by the Lagos Television in conjunction with Leo Gold Productions and 3 editions of FELABRATION.

The project will be unveiled on the 2^nd of December this year and the debut album of Olalekan Okanlawon aka ISEDALE will be launched on the same day 

@ the Blue Ribbon event center No. 15 Olayiwola street new Oko Oba, Abule Egba Lagos.

Red Carpet starts by 2:00 pm prompt

Admittance is by Ankara

For your Ankara call: Keye 07065562187 or Lekan 08024555775

Click here for more information

Felabration 2012

The organizers have announced plans for this year’s edition of the annual Felabration music festival in honour of Fela Anikulapo-Kuti

The festival which celebrates the life and times of the late music icon, multi-instrumentalist musician and composer, pioneer of Afro- beat music, human rights activist, and political maverick, Fela Anikulapo Kuti is tagged ‘Africa, Centre of the World‘.

We have been told it will take a new shape this year as organizers have planned a list of scheduled events.

This year’s Felabration will kick off with the usual symposium ‘The Fela Debates’ themed ‘Corruption and the Generation Next’ and will hold on Monday, October 15, 2012, Fela’s birthday.

The symposium will feature as guest speakers Michael Veal, Seffi Attah, Wole Soyinka, Femi Falana, Carlos Moore, Donald Duke, Ben Murray Bruce and a host of others.

This symposium will be followed by a debate for senior secondary schools students themed ‘Social Media in Africa; Good or Bad’ which will take place on Tuesday, October 9, 2012 at the Freedom Park, Lagos.

The multi-headliner music concert featuring artistes from all parts of world will hold from Tuesday, October 16 to Sunday, October 22, 2012.

Femi and Seun Kuti missed out from last year’s Felabration as they were on tour. Fans will be looking out most especially for their performances this year.The organisers have announced plans for this year’s edition of the annual Felabration music festival in honour of Fela Anikulapo-Kuti

The festival which celebrates the life and times of the late music icon, multi-instrumentalist musician and composer, pioneer of Afro- beat music, human rights activist, and political maverick, Fela Anikulapo Kuti is tagged ‘Africa, Centre of the World‘.

Weve been told it will take a new shape this year as organizers have planned a list of scheduled events.

This year’s Felabration will kick off with the usual symposium ‘The Fela Debates’ themed ‘Corruption and the Generation Next’ and will hold on Monday, October 15, 2012, Fela’s birthday.

The symposium will feature as guest speakers Michael Veal, Seffi Attah, Wole Soyinka, Femi Falana, Carlos Moore, Donald Duke, Ben Murray Bruce and a host of others.

This symposium will be followed by a debate for senior secondary schools students themed ‘Social Media in Africa; Good or Bad’ which will take place on Tuesday, October 9, 2012 at the Freedom Park, Lagos.

The multi-headliner music concert featuring artistes from all parts of world will hold from Tuesday, October 16 to Sunday, October 22, 2012.

Femi and Seun Kuti missed out from last year’s Felabration as they were on tour. Fans will be looking out most especially for their performances this year.

FELA IN PLAY

The rise of Afrobeats

It's the new sound of the UK underground, reworking the African pop of Fela Kuti for kids reared on grime, hip-hop and funky house. With stars like Kanye West wanting in, just how big will it get?
As London ushered in its Olympic year at midnight on 31 December, the official fireworks playlist blaring out over the Thames moved predictably through Vangelis, Soft Cell, Shirley Bassey and Adele. But it was accompanied by one less obvious choice: D'Banj's Oliver Twist. It may have been the first time most of the 250,000 revellers heard the hit-in-waiting from the Nigerian rap star, but it probably won't be the last. At that moment, London DJ Abrantee, the man who gave the name "Afrobeats" to the hottest scene in the UK right now, was getting ready to fly to Egypt, where the very same song "tore the place apart" in front of a Cairo club crowd more used to house music. Most people are familiar with the Afrobeat styles of Fela Kuti – Afrobeats is something different; with the addition of the letter "s" comes a whole new chapter in global pop music.

BABA70

Fela Anikulapo Kuti and Bob Marley Musical giants in a time of revolution

Looking back to the days of these two musical giant who check the world during their life time and still pronounced in today world clamoring for  change  even after thy have long gone. To me these two musical giant are prophet in there own right who see the true meaning of humanity 

 

It’s Bob Marley’s Birthday — and therefore, the perfect time to share this article by noted music writer, Vivien Goldman. HBD, Bob! follow the link below 

http://tinyurl.com/7tdurq8

The Real Kalakuta Republic

Kalakuta Republic was the name musician and political activist Fela Kuti gave to the communal compound that housed his family, band members, and recording studio. Located at 14 Agege Motor Road, Idi-Oro, Mushin, Lagos, Nigeria it had a free health clinic, and recording facility. Fela declared it independent from the Nigerian government after he returned from the United States in 1970.

The word "Kalakuta" was a caricature of a prison cell named Calcutta that fela inhabited.

 The compound burned to the ground on February 18, 1977 after an assault by a thousand armed soldiers. Before the attack on Fela's home, he made a record called Zombie, about the Nigerian military regime. 

In the song, soldiers are called zombies for obeying orders blindly. One of the lines of the song, in pidgin English says, "Zombie no go walk unless you tell am to walk", i.e., a zombie won't walk unless commanded to. While not criticising the idea of military service generally, Fela was frustrated with the Nigerian army's rank and file that allowed corruption and intimidation of their communities by the corrupt and rich top brass, while blindly following orders to intimidate Nigerians.

The song was popular in Nigeria, upsetting then Head of State General Olusegun Obasanjo. Obasanjo had been a schoolmate of Fela's in primary school in Abeokuta. The military was unhappy with Fela's constant criticism and said it was unseemly to have a republic within a republic. Nigerian tabloids carried lurid but unverified tales of girls lured to the compound by Fela's band members and corrupted.

During the attack on Kalakuta Republic by Nigerian soldiers, Fela's mother was thrown from a window and died after an 8-week coma.

Following this attack, Fela married 27 of his backing singers in a mass wedding ceremony at the office of his lawyer, Tunji Braithwaite. Fela said he would not have marital relations with all of the women as the tabloids suggested, but had married them as they could not find employment after the recording studio had been burnt down. According to Fela, in African tradition, when a woman was in danger of being left destitute, it was the duty of a man in her community to marry her as a means of offering protection.References

Fela: The Life and Times of an African Musical Icon By Michael E. Veal, p. 143