Seun Kuti & Egypt 80 blazed through southern Indiana on their current tour of the United States, stopping at the 250 capacity Bluebird Nightclub last Friday. Their act was in top form, performing their entire new album, A Long Way To The Beginning, as well as the Fela Kuti composition V.I.P. (Vagabonds In Power).
I sat down with Seun after the show to discuss the current state of afrobeat music, walking in his father’s footsteps with the Egypt 80 band, and working with Robert Glasper on the new album. Check out the video interview, plus a few songs and a 16 minute monologue/rant right here on Funk It…
Seun Kuti & Egypt 80 – The Funk It Interview 9/12/14 Bloomington, IN @ The Bluebird
Seun Kuti & Egypt 80 (Part 1 of 6) Bloomington, IN @ The Bluebird
IMF (International Mother Fuckers)
Seun Kuti & Egypt 80 (Part 2 of 6) Bloomington, IN @ The Bluebird
Seun speaks
Seun Kuti & Egypt 80 (Part 3 of 6) Bloomington, IN @ The Bluebird
Black Woman
Seun Kuti & Egypt 80 (Part 4 of 6) Bloomington, IN @ The Bluebird
Black Woman (continued)
Seun Kuti & Egypt 80 (Part 5 of 6) Bloomington, IN @ The Bluebird
Higher Consciousness (second half), Kalakuta Boy
Seun Kuti & Egypt 80 (Part 6 of 6) Bloomington, IN @ The Bluebird
Kalakuta Boy (continued)
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I also had the pleasure of catching original afrobeat drummer and pioneer Tony Allen perform with the Chicago Afrobeat Project a few weeks ago in Chicago at a small club. I only caught the first 25 minutes before I had to high tail it to the Navy Pier to get on the Spirit of Chicago yacht with Talib Kweli and a conglomerate of funk superstars for the Fiyawrapper Battleship (but that’s a story for another day and blog post).
It appears that Tony Allen has recorded a full album with the Chicago Afrobeat Project for release next year and I was able to catch several of these new songs through my video lens…
Chicago Afrobeat Project with Tony Allen (Part 1 of 3)
8/30/2014 Chicago, IL @ Double Door
Chicago Afrobeat Project with Tony Allen (Part 2 of 3)
8/30/2014 Chicago, IL @ Double Door
Chicago Afrobeat Project with Tony Allen (Part 3 of 3)
8/30/2014 Chicago, IL @ Double Door
