Released by Because on 4th April ‘11
UK tour begins on 13th April*
This is what Afrobeat is all about – and it’s the album Fela’s fans have been waiting for since his sad death in 1997. Record Collector *****
Seun Kuti will be available for interview
Seun Anikulapo Kuti will release From Africa With Fury: Rise on Because Music on the 4th April 2011.
At just 27 years of age, the album sees Kuti finding his own idiosyncratic voice as songwriter, singer, and band leader, heading up Egypt 80, the extraordinary combo first fronted by his renowned father, Fela Kuti. The album follows Seun Kuti’s critically praised debut, 2008’s Many Things**, which was unanimously hailed for continuing Kuti’s musical legacy.
The mighty ‘From Africa With Fury: Rise’ is produced by Brian Eno, John Reynolds and Seun himself, with additional production by Godwin Logie. Eno – an avowed fan – has nothing but the highest praise for Seun and his band, hailing them for “making some of the biggest, wildest, livest music on the planet.” Co-producer Reynolds (whose work as musician, producer, and mixer spans such artists as Sinéad O’Connor, U2, and Natacha Atlas) agrees, applauding Kuti and Egypt 80’s distinctive Afrobeat as “a musical adrenaline rush.”
Seun is happy to return the compliments: “Brian Eno is ‘Brian Eno’ for a reason. He has a great mind when it comes to music. He adds new dimensions to the sound. He showed me new ways of opening up the sound I’d never have thought of on my own. Not to downplay the work of John Reynolds, who is an incredible producer. I’m really glad I had them work on the album.”
“What inspires me is the time that I live in,” Seun says. “Basically what is happening today in Africa are the same things that were happening 40 years ago, when my father was songwriting, but they’re happening in different ways.
Sadly, Seun finds himself challenging many of the same injustices his father fought in his heyday, from corporate greed to militaristic leaders to the ever-futile war on drugs. Perhaps the album’s most unequivocal battle cry is the blistering “Rise,” in which Kuti impels listeners to fight “the petroleum companies” that “use our oil to destroy our land,” “the diamond companies” that “use our brothers as slaves for the stone,” and “companies like “Monsanto and Halliburton” which “use their food to make my people hungry.” But where Fela’s work often featured an explicit call to revolution, Seun’s goal is subtler. He sees his role as that of an educator, speaking truth to power in order to provoke awareness and debate throughout his beloved homeland.
“In Africa today, most people are struggling in silence,” Seun says. “The systematic oppression of the people has made them blinded to their reality. Everybody’s just thinking about survival. Nobody wants to stand up for anything, everybody just wants to tow the line. So I’m trying to make people think about these things that they are forgetting. I want to inspire people to want things to change.”
*Africa Soul Rebels Special
Seun Kuti & Egypt 80
and Donso
TOUR DATES APRIL 2011
Weds 13th LONDON – Royal Festival Hall 0844 875 0073 / www.southbankcentre.co.uk
Fri 15th NORTHAMPTON – Royal & Derngate 01604 624811 / royalandderngate.co.uk
Sat 16th EDINBURGH – Usher Hall 0131 228 1155 / usherhall.co.uk
Mon 18th MANCHESTER – The Ritz 0161 907 9000 / www.bridgewater-hall.co.uk
Tues 17th BANGOR – Prichard – Jones Hall 01248 382558 / www.theticketfactory.com
Tues 19th BRISTOL – Colston Hall 0117 922 3686 / colstonhall.org
Weds 20th BASINGSTOKE – The Anvil 01256 844244 / anvilarts.org.uk
Thurs 21st POOLE – Lighthouse 0844 406 8666 / lighthousepoole.co.uk
www.musicbeyondmainstream.co.uk
**Reviews for “Many Things”:
The Observer – “…updates Fela’s style imperiously…”
Metro – “It’s a brazen, blazing work of conscious dance music – and the making of a new global superstar.”
Mojo – 4 stars
Evening Standard – 4 Stars
Observer Music Monthly – 4 stars
Allaboutjazz.com “We can be certain that Fela would have loved “Many Things”. It’s the second coming, and it’s been worth the wait.”
