The Indestructible Beat

Listeners to the show know that I pump a fair bit of Afrobeat into the weekly playlist. No better way to warm up the woofers. If you've tuned in during the past year, you will have heard tracks from Afrobeat stalwarts like Tony Allen, Femi Kuti, and Seun Kuti, and some stellar tracks from American Afrobeat outfits like Antibilas and Kokolo. I'm moved by this music for the same reasons that I'm attracted to punk rock. Both styles revolve tightly around the idea of liberation, and both touch something primal in my brain, either through the pure power of simple chord structures or through complex, poly-rhythmic beats and time signatures.

Readers of this blog may also remember that I recently served up a link to the Fela Kuti documentary, Music is the Weapon. Absolutely riveting stuff.

If you're keen to learn more about the history of Afrobeat, or you're looking for new insight into this style, you'll want to check out Joe Tangari's article from 2005 on "The Indestructible Beat" which Pitchfork wisely re-posted last year at this time. The article is stacked with the names of artists, labels, and websites that offer outstanding coverage of the world of Afrobeat. I'm certain that I'll spend weeks tracking down the leads which Tangari offers here. It's an outstanding window into an extraordinary world of music.

Especially good for web heads is the section of the article on "Surfing Afropop." Tangari has scoured the blogosphere to find a trove of sites which make it easy to sample the sounds of classic Afropop and Afrobeat. Be sure to check out Voice of America's African Beat, which showcases the best in African music from Benga to Juju, Hip Life to Bongo Flava, Afrobeat to Ndombolo, Bubu to Soukous and Makossa to Kwaito.

Don't know what those styles refer to? Click over there and start your education today!