Fela Kuti - Beast Of No Nation (1989)

 

One album, one song. Should be boring right? Should be a short review right? Wrong. 

Yep, that's right, one song. It's extended on both sides of the LP so you have to flip it over half way through the song and it just keeps playing. I love it. 

Firstly, let's talk a bit about Mr. Kuti. Those that know me know that I love that Fela fella. In fact, as with many, he is the very reason I got into African music, and in turn, developed my deep love for the 'world music' genre. There is a lot to say about this prolific figure but I will keep it relatively brief. Born to a wealthy family he moved to the UK to study music in his early 20's (I think - in all honesty I'm writing off memory here). Anyway, after developing his chops in Western music he moved to L.A. briefly in the late 1960s where he performed regularly at mid-tier nightclubs. Where he returned to Nigeria that's when the magic happened - when the lighting bolt of Yoruba god Sango stuck Fela's head and scrambled his brain in the best way possible to gift him the ability to fuse Western formulas of jazz and funk into traditional West-African music and rhythm styles - giving birth to Afrobeat. Fela you beautiful soul, and Sango, bloody legend!

The 70's in West Africa became flooded with the Afrobeat sound, with nightclubs on every urban corner being filled with infectious grooves and dance to match. The record industry also experienced a boom, due to local and international infatuation with this new sound that's as sweet as the nectar of African gods. Above all though - Fela reigned supreme.

Not only was his music absolutely bangin', but he was also a highly outspoken political activist, fighting for Nigerian and African rights alike against violently-oppressive governmental regimes. Seriously, there is a wholeee story there, and you can hear it in his music with songs such as Zombie (1977) and Coffin for Head of State (1980). I fully recommend watching a documentary on this guy. Not only is he an incredible musician, composer and arranger but his life is also extraordinary and down-right intense. Finding Fela (2014) is a good one but Faces of Africa: Fela Kuti (2017) is also good, and on YouTube. Link to that and other great videos found below.

Anyway lets get to the song! Beasts of No Nation is a 28 minute piece of musical magic. I believe I first found this jam on Questlove's Fela Kuti tribute playlist on Spotify when I was first getting into him. I put the song on and went for a walk in the park and to be honest - I think I will always remember that experience. The song maintains a relatively laidback yet urgent polyrhythmic beat for the songs entire duration supplied by drummer Benjamin Ijagun (nope, not Tony Allen). The song runs largely instrumentally for the first 12 minutes (seriously, I love this shit) with Kuti's typical 'call and response; type horns, building keyboard patterns and playful solos. When Kuti's vocals finally come in he leads a series of chants promoting human rights and accusing the government of corruption. He takes audacious jabs at the the Nigerian post-colonial government, the South African apartheid regime of P.W. Botha, the 'disunited' United Nations and even Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan (all depicted on the hilariously -not so subtle - cover's artwork). And you thought rap beef was all that. Seriously, Fela got his mum thrown out of a window and killed due to his music. Go watch the documentary. 

The tune is filled to the brim of fantastic solos. A highlight is Soji Odukogbe's jazz guitar solo roughly 6 minutes into the track, which cuts deep in the most delicate way possible. Kuti also plays an incredibly soulful tenor saxophone solo towards the end of the song. If you aren't listening to it by now it better be because you're either watching the documentary or you're starting at the very beginning of his catalogue because you've devoted all of your spare time to consuming all of the genius that this man ever released. I don't blame you, I've been there. 

Writing about music is funny - why describe sounds when you can just go listen to them? I suggest you do exactly that.

Favourite track:.....

Listen/purchase: https://felakuti.bandcamp.com/album/beasts-of-no-nation-1989

In Between The Grooves IG: @inbetweenthegrooves_

The Knitting Factory Records: https://store.partisanrecords.com/

Documentaries and video links:

• The Faces of Africa: Fela Kuti: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cS_Yd_iMYWo&ab_channel=CGTNAfrica
• The story of Fela Kuti & Ginger Baker: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YLuWYD6sFwo&ab_channel=Bandsplaining 
• The Genius of Fela Kuti and Afrobeat: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ryTTHmUYc2o&ab_channel=SoundField