Brooklyn, New York-based Antibalas is a collective of up to 17 musicians whose origins were in celebrating Afrobeat music, made famous by Fela Anikulapo-Kuti in Nigeria in the 1970s, but since their origins in 1998, the Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra has changed names to simply Antibalas and continues to infuse funk, jazz, Latin, soul, and classical elements into their music to keep it growing in new directions.
The list of influences to these musicians would be a hefty list, but during out conversation they do provide some insights into some prime musical influences beyond Fela Kuti, including Fugazi, Bob Marley, Talking Heads, and Eddie Palmieri and the Harlem River Drive Orchestra.
Antibalas have released four albums to date including Liberation Afro Beat Vol. 1 in 2001 and Talkatif in 2002, both on Ninja Tune Records. Who is This America? was released in 2004 on Ropeadope Records and their newest, Security, was released in early March 2007 on ANTI- Records.
Antibalas is currently on tour around the world in support of the new CD. Catch them if and when you can.
Friday, April 27, 2007
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