Admittedly, my knowledge of Afrobeat is rather limited, despite me enjoying it very much whenever I heard it. The combination of intricate percussion and open, sweeping melodies has, in my opinion, a very universal appeal. The percussion is also the first element I really noticed in this piece by Eparapo. From hand-drums, over shakers to cymbals, these instruments provide a solid foundation for the music while placing accents themselves.
Bass and guitar play a crucial, but secondary melodic role to an eclectic brass section. All of this is tied together by some wonderfully smooth vocals. I found the resulting music less structured than I’m used to and more flowing and unconstrained, similar to but distinct from Jazz. A very pleasant listening experience.
Where the songs shine most, however, is in the lyrically content. Every track talks about tremendously important topics: inequality, greed, racism, gentrification and the need for unity, dialogue and dignity to overcome those problems. It does so, by breaking those topics down to a level where everyone should be able to understand them.
Although it would be very simple to, “Take To The Streets” at no point feels overly preechy, but approachable and inviting. Overall, this is an excellent album that is not only pleasureable to listen to, but manages to spread a simple but profound message: Look out for each other. Highly, highly recommended!
– Florgoth
One of the things that has thrilled me with #FeatureFriday is it’s eclectic nature and Florgoth’s choice this week doesn’t let us down. Take the Streets is as cool as it comes, funky, smooth and political. There is depth and there is soul. The syncopated rhythms, interweaving guitars, keys and punctuating brass are all supported by a very insistent backbeat which in itself is wonderfully played.
There’s a poetry to the music, the staccato of the brass and the pumping bass,the intricate percussion and the funky drums. It’s gorgeous. And then you have the vocals, they have a message but also a melody to support it. It plays with dynamics because it’s keeping you in it’s back pocket. You need to move. You need to dance. You need to throw some shapes. You can’t help it. Go with it.
I remember back in my younger days my friends and I would go out and not always know where we were going and you would end up in some over subscribed venue, sweaty and hot and there would be a band just grooving, drilling a baseline into your head and your shoulders would start and then it’s in your stomach, into the legs and down tp the feet and the next thing you know your moving with the throbbing crowd, grinning like a fool.
And yet again, there is the message. And in this week of all weeks the message is as powerful as at any time. Music can soothe, and it can save.
Get on this. You will not be sorry.
Taken from Bandcamp: More about Eparapo
Wah Wah 45s are proud to present the full debut album from Afrobeat supergroup Eparapo. Having come together during the unprecedented events of the pandemic and the Black Lives Matter movement, and despite being a project born from the privations of lockdown, their music is ultimately an expression of hope, resilience & resurgence.
The word “eparapo” means “join forces” in Yoruba, the language of Afrobeat. It’s also the title of a track by the late, great Tony Allen – drummer for Afrobeat legend Fela Kuti and lifelong friend and mentor of our very own “Afrobeat Ambassador”, Dele Sosimi. Not only did Tony help to invent Afrobeat, he always looked for ways to push the boundaries, never content with recreating what had gone before but constantly expanding and developing the genre. This project hopes to pay homage to his legacy, and that of Fela Kuti himself. Its aim is to innovate, fuse and diversify while still retaining the essence of the music.
The force behind Eparapo is bassist, composer & producer Suman Joshi. He has been a member of Dele Sosimi’s Afrobeat Orchestra for nearly a decade and has performed on stage with the likes of Tony Allen, Seun Kuti, Ginger Baker & Laura Mvula. He is also bassist with UK jazz ensemble Collocutor and fusion project Cubafrobeat.
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