Various Artists – Nigeria 70: Lagos Jump

Once again the people at the rather wonderful Strut label have hit gold. With a series of rare groove, funk, highlife, reggae and afrobeat records coming out in recent months, Lagos Jump is one of the picks of the lot. As with all Strut releases, as well as the record you get a little booklet explaining some of the background to the artists and what was going on around the time, and influencing the people making out this music. In this case, it seems Duncan Brooker is highlighting the sound of ‘Post Independence' Nigeria. He has unearthed a heady mix of dirty, rootsy funk, reggae, and jazz infused with traditional African rhythms to create a unique mix of styles. This is the ‘crate-diggers' version of the original Nigeria 70 compilation, and focuses on the slightly more obscure musicians, rather than the bigger names of the previous record. With such a wealth of material to choose from, Brooker doesn't put a foot wrong, consistently turning out gems in numerous styles, be it afro-beat, afro-soul, a combination of all of the above, or any other style that was all part of the post-independence melting pot of a musical scene in Nigeria at the time.Particular standouts here include the bouncing highlife of Ashanti Afrika Jah's ‘Onyame' (available on the TLOBF Laundromat playlist), with its fast moving shuffling guitars and rhythms, and the deep groove of Dynamic Africana's ‘Igbehin Lalayo Nta', with its taught guitar lines and floating flute parts which intertwine with the mesmerizing rhythms on offer. Although the quality of recording here varies in quality greatly, with some efforts sounding distinctly more DIY than others, this is all part of the charm of the record, and helps to invoke the feeling of the kind of sweaty, sticky Lagos nights where this music was played live, and people danced away in celebration into the early hours, often under the stars. Another highlight is provided by the fantastically named Bola Johnson and his Easy Life Top Beats, whose ‘Ezuku Buzo' begins with a spoken word intro call and response with the members of his band before kicking in to a highly wound groove with buzzing afro jazz guitar runs. By contrast, the slick ‘African Dialects' by Peter King is a much smoother ride, coming on like an Isaac Hayes instrumental, complete with over the top saxaphone solos. Throw in the ‘Ball of Confusion'-era Temptations soul-rock of The Immortals ‘Hot Tears', and you can see just what a heady mix of styles and influences were floating around on those long Lagos nights.To say that this compilation is an interesting historical introduction to the music of Nigeria would be to do it a great disservice. While it is certainly educational, it also provides plenty for fans of funk, afro-soul, reggae and breaks. The fusion of all these styles makes much of the music here difficult to pigeonhole, but easy to enjoy. It may not be as immediately accessible as its predecessor, but Nigeria 70: Lagos Jump is a fantastic addition to the reissues coming out of West Africa. Long may it continue. 79%Links Strut Records [official site]