Written by Buhlebenkosi Chinhara
The sun is shining, the thermostat is climbing up, up, up and CBC Music has the perfect answer for any heat wave: just listen to all Afrobeat all the time.
Our new stream will immerse you in the exhilarating world of Afrobeat — the jazz, funk and highlife fusion sound that swept through West Africa during the latter half of the 20th century — from early '60s and '70s classics to the modern-day revival.
Not to be mistaken with "Afrobeats" — the much younger, pop-and-R&B-with-a-West-African-twist genre that’s been on the rise in the 2010s — this stream features a who’s who of Afrobeat all-stars, like the legendary Fela Kuti, who pioneered that classic, soul-stirring, horn-and-conga funky sound. You'll hear Tony Allen’s deconstructed Afrofunk, and Manu Dibango’s ever-sampled, groovy sax stylings for the Afrobeat purist, as well as those contemporary faces like New York’s Antibalas and Toronto’s Mr. Something Something, who are both keeping Afrobeat alive and true in the 21st century.
Afrobeat Classics is a carefully curated collection of essential tracks that will get you well acquainted with this captivating genre, sending you on an entrancing journey of rhythm and percussion. And what better soundtrack for those long, hot summer nights than a stream that will be sure to get you up on your feet and keep you grooving along long after the sun goes down?
Explore the jazzy, funk, juju and highlife fusion of music that is the world of Afrobeat-- the foot-stomping style that swept throughout West Africa in the 60s and 70s.
Hear Fela Kuti, Orlando Julius, The Funkees, Antibalas and more!
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