What modern(ish) Afrobeat would you recommend?

[dark water]

Greetings,

I've just been getting back into a fair bit of Afrobeat listening and, besides the classics by Fela Kuti and those that appear on Nigeria 70 and Afro-Beat Airways etc, I don't really know a great deal in the genre, particularly more modern artists of the late 1990s onwards.

Are there any current Afrobeat groups which you'd recommend?

So far, these look pretty good: I'm probably going to buy their albums soon...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFSRCG4DrmI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IAoEZ0FEhgc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sbSlSnU2vuo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8lX9sOLDvs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zKzPyENWw4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qrq4qD0LPj8


What Afrobeat tracks or artists do you think are excellent?

Cheers,

[stimresp]

https://vimeo.com/261105039

[dark water]

^^ Thanks - that MOW remix sounds excellent. Excellent flute addition too

[dark water]

Anything else......

As the OP, that was what I was wondering!

I might be mistaken but it would appear that whilst the Afrobeat scene is currently alive and kicking in many places - particularly in Nigeria and as evidenced by a large number of afrobeat covers / remixes now in fashion on Youtube - perhaps there are not so many afrobeat orchestras / bands which stand out from the crowd as a result of the genre's overall popularity and possible dilution with other popular genres?
The same could be argued for reggae bands: all around the world, reggae as a genre is hugely loved and there are many good local bands from Jamaica to Japan. But perhaps the genre can not stand distinctly by itself anymore compared to in the 1970s-1980s when reggae was a vehicle for a more powerful message at that time?


Either way, I shall keep searching for modern and exciting afrobeat bands.

Please feel free to contribute with your recommendations for modern(ish) afrobeat groups everybody.

[pugilistas]

Tony Allen is still laying out the beat. 'Without Tony Allen there is no Afrobeat'. Lagos No Shaking and Film of Life are both recent.

That Newen Afrobeat recording is always tremendously energizing. Thanks for the reminder.

There are a couple of local bands in Austin, Texas that go at pretty seriously. Khaali Haat and Hard Proof Afrobeat. Plus a couple of others that may not be as active. Decently popular around these parts.

https://khalihaat.bandcamp.com/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AhEp9Y34Hrw

[dark water]

Cool, thanks pugilistas - they sound good