What is Afropolitan Vibes?
Afropolitan Vibes is a monthly live music concert which exists as a platform for alternative music: a place where music lovers congregate to watch contemporary singer-songwriters and musicians perform mostly original works that are firmly rooted in African musical origins of Afro-beat, Afrofunk, Afro-hip-hop, Afro-pop and Highlife music. A host of talented artists gather each month to rehearse and then perform with Bantucrew on stage at Freedom Park’s Main Stage. The show is held every third Friday of each month. Show starts promptly from 8.00pm-10.30/11.00pm. Afropolitan Vibes is co-produced by Ade Bantu and Abby Ogunsanya.
Bantu
Bantu aka Brotherhood Alliance Navigating Towards Unity is a 12-piece Afro-funk-Afro-hip-hop-Afro-beat musical collective founded by NigerianGerman brothers Adé Bantu and Abiodun. The band features multiinstrumentalists and singers who perform as a collective.
Palm Wine Tradition
Palm wine is now available at all our shows. As our palm wine is always freshly tapped in Sagamu in the early hours of the morning of each show, this luscious white liquid is guaranteed to be sweet and only mildly intoxicating as it is yet unfermented. Our palm wine is served the traditional way: the wine is available to buy per gourd (to share with friends/family) or in individual calabashes. Alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks are also available for purchase at the Freedom Park bar area where we encourage you all to come join us after the show for a drink, chat and photographs.
Official After Party
After each show, we have an after party gig at the Freedom Park bar area. We have different special guest DJs who make an appearance alongside Raymond Bola Browne aka DJraybeeBrowne of Igroove Radio who is our resident DJ. This month’s special guest DJ will be DJ Lambo. Join us at the Freedom Park bar immediately after the show to party and hangout with friends.
Spread the Word
If you love Afropolitan Vibes, spread the word – tweet about us - @afropolitanvibe join our facebook page - facebook.com/Afropolitanvibes subscribe tour digital magazine - issuu.com/afropolitanvibes and invite your friends and family next time.
NEXT AFROPOLITAN VIBES SHOW WILL BE ON DECEMBER 18TH, 2015 SEE YOU THEN! Afropolitan Vibes Magazine credits: Editor: Abby Ogunsanya
Guest artists’ photographs: Courtesy of subjects
Contact and advertising enquiries:
Guest artists profiles: Dami Ajayi, Kolade Arogundade, Mark Andrew Levine
Show photographs: Adedeji Hamed of Elixir Photography
info@afropolitanvibes.com
Graphic design and layout: Graeme Arendse
Printing: John Bola
Tel: + 234-803-4937094
Issue 25 // November 2015
Editor’s Notes
Our October Afropolitan Vibes show attracted our biggest crowd since inception and a great time was had by all. Now we are on our 31st and we are lucky to have secured three very sought after guest artists to perform. We extended an invitation to Pat Thomas because our love for his music. This was further bolstered by Ade Bantu’s recent travel to Germany where he was able to watch him perform live. He was so blown away that he immediately contacted me to say that we needed to do everything possible to persuade Pat Thomas to perform at Afropolitan Vibes. Thankfully, there was a break in his very busy schedule and we are very happy that Pat Thomas has agreed to perform this month. Much cajoling was needed to persuade the Queen of Waka, Salawa Abeni to make a return to the Afropolitan Vibes stage following her amazing performance back in June 2014. We were so keen to have her that we were prepared to delay printing all of our marketing materials until she agreed. Falz the Bahd Guy is unarguably one of the hottest artists in Nigeria right now. With his unique blend of rap and comedy, this lawyer turned musician continues to grow in stature everyday. The Bantu collective looks forward to sharing the stage with him. That is the beauty of Afropolitan Vibes; each month brings a unique blend of artists. We hope to carry on this tradition for many years to come and thank you all for supporting the movement. Enjoy the show!
In this issue
We profile our three guest artists: Pat Thomas, Salawa Abeni and Falz The BahdGuy. We answer all of the frequently asked questions that we get about Afropolitan Vibes. We feature some of our favourite pictures from the 30th edition of Afropolitan Vibes, which was held on October 16th 2015.
Contact us
You can email us with your thoughts at info@afropolitanvibes.com. We also read all comments and respond to questions on Facebook, and Twitter. We have a limited number of back issues of Afropolitan Vibes magazine. If you would like a copy, please contact us via email or on +234-803-4937094.
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Issue 25 // November 2015
The
Gentle Lady
Kolade Arogundade
M
ade popular by Batile Alake, Waka is a Yoruba Islamic music genre. Then came the young and beautiful voice of Salawa and everything changed. She took Waka to the mainstream, out of Yoruba weddings and funerals into concert stages around the world.
released her music through Ayinla’s record label. Her relationship with Ayinla ended in 1994. Abeni introduced jazz drums and made the Waka tempo faster and became the first female Nigerian musician to sell over a million copies. Her songs Gentle Lady and Congratulation were big hits of the 80s. In 1992 she was crowned Queen of Waka Music by the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi. She has won several music awards and performed in Europe and America.
Before Salawa, waka was a slow call and response styled singing backed by sakara and omele percussive drumming. Abeni came into Yoruba underground traditional Muslim music scene as a green-eyed eleven year old. In 1976 at the age of 15 she released a long playing vinyl titled “Late General Murtala Ramat Mohammed”, a tribute to the assassinated Nigerian Head of State.
She has two children with her ex husband Kollington Ayinla, Okiki, a daughter and a son Big Sheff who is a rapper. Abeni and her son collaborated in a remix of her hit song Gentle Lady. Salawa Abeni was born Salawatu Abeni Ojomo but chose to be known as Abeni Salawa.
She was signed to Leader Records owned by Alhaji Lateef Adepoju, a man she was romantically linked with until 1986 when she left him to marry fellow musician and former adversary Kollington Ayinla. The turbulence and eventually breakdown of the their relationship and musical war will fill two books. At a point she
Salawa’s performance at the Afropolitan Vibes last year was described by musician Ade Bantu as being “...off the hook”. Her performance was seminal to the development of the monthly Afropolitan Vibes Concerts. Young and old from every walk of life and class joined her stage as she sang and danced. The gentle lady performs this week again.
Facebook: www.facebook.com/Salawa-Abeni
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Afropolitan Vibes
The
Waz Up Guy Dami Ajayi
T
he sight of a bearded youngish fellow sporting “eye glasses” without lenses never invoked so much laughter till it dawned on a certain musician, Folarin Falana, son of that popular Nigerian legal luminary and activist Femi Falana, and a Barrister himself, to project an alter-ego who aspires to be trendy but speaks Yoruba with an “H-Factor.”
He had released a fairly well-received mixtape called Shakara that, according 360 Nobs’ reviewer, “carried the playful “Just fucking around, sorry!” vibe of a rap career started on a laugh but buckled under very local Yoruba accented English and a relatable theme.” It was the sound of things to come as the industry lawyer-turned musician followed these fledgling efforts with a flurry of hits and finally in 2014, he released his “falst” debut album called The Wazup Guy. The Wazup Guy album was mesh of many things—hilarious skits, synthetic hippy sounds, effortless rhymes that code-switch from acceptable English into that exaggerated Yoruba of his with a thick accent and stressed mispronunciation.
Falz aka Falz the bahd guy—bahd being acronym for Brilliant and Highly Distinct—is the same as Brother Taju, his alter ego, and much more. Besides being a lawyer himself, born to a family of lawyers (father, mother and older sister are lawyers) Folarin Falana, 25, had a middleclass Nigerian childhood attending private schools—St Leo’s Catholic Primary School & Olashore International School—and listening to music which presumably included the hugely popular American hip hop songs of that era as well as a smattering of locally flavoured playlist that never strayed away from the likes of Fela Anikulapo Kuti and King Sunny Ade.
His music video as well as video skits also reflect a straight face that over-emphasizes his deadpan humour, but Falz has been known to insist emphatically that he is not a comedian. He likes to be identified as a rapper, and a rapper he is, with hugely successful hits songs of his own (Marry me, Ello Bae, Karishika) as well as numerous collaborative efforts that reinforce his claim to fame.
At a young impressionable age, he had began to experiment with musical form of rap, starting a small rap group called “The School Boys” with his school friends, and singing in his church choir. This went pari passu with his pursuit of tertiary education at the University of Reading, UK where he bagged his law degree and at the Nigerian Law School, from where he was called to Bar in 2012.
With a new album called “Stories That Touch” in the offing, we can be sure that Falz will continue to thrill us with his wry rhymes and effortlessly comical code-switching for a long time.
Twitter: @falzthebahdguy Facebook:ww.facebook.com/folarin.falana
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Afropolitan Vibes
The
Golden Voice
of Africa Mark Levine
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T
vocals, guitar and other developments. Since then, highlife has become the world’s music; with this album we’re aiming to take it to yet another level.”
here are times when the world needs beautiful music... and this is certainly one of them. Few genres of music can bring a smile to a listener’s face more quickly than highlife, and few highlife singers have a voice as uniquely powerful, resonant and silky sweet as the “Golden Voice Of Africa” and Ghana’s “first rock star” -- the legendary Pat Thomas.
For Thomas, the rebirth of his music is a vindication after the death of Ghana’s music scene with the military coup of 1978, after which Accra went from being like New Orleans or Havana on steroids, to a musical wasteland, leading much of Ghana’s musical elite to depart for a host of diasporic destinations, from Nigeria to Europe and North America.
Thomas’s music, especially on his new album, Pat Thomas & Kwashibu Area Band, has an incredible energy and a strangely beautiful, infectious sound that evokes 1978 as much as 2015. It is an album that could only have been created by a Ghanaian highlife master; but it is so much more. It brings Thomas together with the greatest African trap drummer of the modern era, former Fela Kuti bandleader Tony Allen, along with highlife / Afro-funk legend and longtime collaborator Ebo Taylor, who rocked Afropolitan Vibes last year. It also includes awardwinning multi-instrumentalist saxophonist Ben Abarbanel-Wolff.
For Thomas, his travels led him to become one of the biggest stars in the emerging “burger highlife” scene in Europe, involving recordings produced in Berlin and Hamburg and exported to Ghana. Pat was now collaborating with fellow Ghanaian artist and guitarist George Darko on the trademark “burger” mix of soulful vocals, highlife, disco and funk with disposable electronic keyboard sounds. The result of their collaboration was a quintessential example of globalisation, adding Germany and the United States to the rich mix of cultures which have made the global reach of highlife music possible.
Highlife has always been an attitude, an aesthetic, meant to produce a state of mind, a musical “high” that also meant liberation - musical, cultural and at times political. It brings joy amidst sorrow precisely because it represents the collective experience and constant movement of generations of musicians across four continents.
A 1986 move to Canada did nothing to slow enthusiasm for his burger sound, which continued into the 2000s, at which point old comrades like Ebo Taylor and Tony Allen expressed a desire to record with Pat. Together they’ve produced one of the most beautiful and innovative highlife albums in decades, one that has not only risen to the top of the world music charts but received critical accolades as well. As producer and bandleader Ben Abarbanel-Wolff explains, “It captures the last great moment of classic highlife, circa 1978, and brings it to today.”
Even in a genre noted for great singers and mellifluous voices, Pat Thomas’ signature vocal style has stood out for more than four decades. Perhaps only Cardinal Rex Jim Lawson, the great Nigerian artist whose career and life were tragically cut short in a 1971 car accident, had a voice as comparably powerful and evocative. But Pat Thomas was more than just one of the great voices of the genre. As Fela’s drummer Tony Allen put it: “I’m an afrobeat drummer but Pat is highlife. That is what he does so well.”
As a highlife great, Pat Thomas has the greatest compliment possible for the musicians with whom he collaborated on this album: “It’s all beautiful; it’s a new sort of thing to me, though it’s all highlife. I was very happy.” When highlife makes you happy, you know it’s good. And the album is guaranteed to bring a smile to your face. But most important, Pat is again on the road in Europe, having just completed a tour that took him to 10 countries in 22 dates.
Pat himself explains, “We took the great Kwa music of Kumasi and other local styles and added Western elements with new horn arrangements,
Facebook: www.facebook.com/PatThomasKwashibu/ Website: www.strut-records.com 11
Afropolitan Vibes
FAQs the show unique as people of all ages, races and professions unite for the love of music. You could be standing next to your plumber, your primary school teacher, your daughter‘s friend or staff of the French Consulate and nobody cares because everyone is there for the music. We ask for donations to help us sustain the show until corporate sponsors decide to support us. The donations help us cover some of our costs. Without your kind donations, we definitely wouldn‘t be able to keep going.
WHEN IS AFROPOLITAN VIBES HELD? Afropolitan Vibes holds every third Friday of the month.
WHERE IS THE CONCERT HELD? The concert is held at the main stage of Freedom Park, Lagos Island.
WHAT TIME DO YOU START THE SHOW? Showtime is at 8PM prompt and usually ends around 11PM. The end of the show depends largely on the number of featured guest artists and how long the medley section (where you all are free to get up on stage to show off your dance moves) lasts. We always have a DJ before and after the show, so you are free to come well ahead of time to meet with friends or family to watch us sound check. Early birds also get to grab a free copy of our Afropolitan Vibes Magazine before it runs out. After the show, we all meet at the Freedom Park Food Court for more music by our Guest DJ. If you are lucky you may spot members of BANTU band or any of our guest artists and get the opportunity to have a chat or take photographs with them.
HOW DO YOU CHOOSE WHO PERFORMS AT THE SHOWS? We have an unshakeable rule of not allowing any form of miming at the show. All performances are live and are backed by the 13-piece BANTU collective. All artists on the show are people whose music we love and who we feel can perform great music to a high standard before a discerning live audience. All guest artists are required to attend rehearsals prior to the show as we do not conduct jam sessions on stage. All performances are well rehearsed and we hope that it shows.
WHY IS THERE NO SEATING AT THE SHOW?
YOU SAY THAT THE SHOW IS FREE YET WE ALWAYS HAVE TO PAY A GATE FEE OF 500 NAIRA, PLEASE EXPLAIN THIS.
At Afropolitan Vibes, the culture we strive for is one which gathers people who really love music, people who appreciate live performances and understand the dedication and artistry that goes into creating and performing songs. We don‘t encourage posers or people who will sit eating small chops and popping champagne. We want people who are ready to dance and have a good time and are happy to show their appreciation to the artists who perform for their enjoyment. If you are disabled or unable to stand for long periods of time, we can make provisions for you to sit on the side of the stage. If you let us know in advance, we will do all we can to make you comfortable.
Afropolitan Vibes is a free show; we do not charge a ticket fee for anyone to attend. The gate fee of 500 Naira is for entry into Freedom Park which goes directly to the management of Freedom Park. The management of Freedom Park provides us with free use of the space and its amenities and use the money from the gate fee to maintain the park and pay the support staff to tidy up after the show.
IS THAT WHY YOU ASK FOR DONATIONS DURING THE SHOW? Yes, that is why. We want to keep the show free for everyone to attend. We think this is part of what makes
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Issue 25 // November 2015
WE OFTEN SEE PEOPLE JUMP ON THE STAGE TO DANCE. WHY DO YOU ALLOW THIS?
featuring an artist who has performed at Afropolitan Vibes. Urban Sessions happens on an ad-hoc basis when we have an appropriate artist that we can feature in a small venue before a limited audience who pay a ticket price to enter. In 2015, we also launched the AFROPOLITAN VIBES PODCAST, an audio session, again featuring an artist who has performed at Afropolitan Vibes. The chosen artist sits down for an in-depth conversation with Ade Bantu to discuss their life and music. So far, we have featured singer-songwriters Patrice, Brymo and Keziah Jones. We plan to tour the world with Afropolitan Vibes working with artists of all genres, but the monthly third Friday gigs at Freedom Park will always be our mainstay. We also plan to conduct music workshops in the near future. It makes sense to do so; after all, we have a 13-piece collective of some of the most talented musicians in the country.
Afropolitan Vibes is as much about the artists as it is about the audience. Newcomers are often shocked and sometimes irritated that members of the audience are allowed to get on stage and dance. Everyone soon gets over the shock and eventually join in themselves. People are encouraged not to get on the stage when a guest artist is performing unless the artist specifically invites them to do so. However, we do have specific slots during the show when the Bantu collective is performing when we encourage everyone to come on stage and express themselves in dance. We don‘t need to tell you when the time comes. Just follow the lead of the regulars who can usually be found front and centre of the stage and you‘ll soon get the hang of it all.
TELL US ABOUT AFROPOLITAN VIBES MAGAZINE.
I AM AN ARTIST. HOW DO I APPLY TO FEATURE ON AFROPOLITAN VIBES?
We are very proud of the magazine, which we distribute to members of the audience at each show. They have become highly sought after collector’s item, largely because of the creative magazine covers. Afropolitan Vibes Magazine is free of charge and is paid for by the adverts. Each magazine features in-depth profiles of each of our guest artists for the month as well as other articles, news updates about the show and pictures from past shows. For those who miss out on a copy or are unable to attend the show, we also publish a digital copy of the magazines online at www.issuu.com/ afropolitanvibes If you wish to advertise in the magazine, please contact us at info@afropolitanvibes.com.
We don‘t have an application procedure because we generally approach artists ourselves. But if you are convinced that you can hold your own on the Afropolitan Vibes stage - and let‘s be honest here, our standards are very high - then by all means send us a link to your demo (please no MP3 files!) but we would still need to see you perform live.
HOW DO I KEEP UP TO DATE WITH THE LATEST UPDATES ABOUT THE SHOW? You can visit our website at www.afropolitanvibes. com and subscribe to our newsletter. You can also join our Facebook page at www. facebook.com/afropolitanvibes Or on Twitter @afropolitanvibe Or on Instagram @afropolitanvibes
WHAT ARE YOUR FUTURE PLANS FOR THE SHOW? We have expanded the brand since the show started in 2013. In addition to the magazine, we also now have ‚URBAN SESSION‘ a series of small gigs
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OCTOBER 2015 Edition
Afropolitan Vibes
Issue 24 // October 2015