Nigeria has always been a musical powerhouse, but for me, the 70s and 80s were a real golden age. “Tire Ni Oluwa” is an ode…
Tag: Nigeria
31/03/2022: “Joromi” by Sir Victor Uwaifo
I often find the scratchy, raw recordings made by smaller artists in the past quite pleasant. They are warm – and with a strong song,…
25/03/2022: “Alo Mi Alo” by Orlando Julius & His Afro Sounders
The rhythm just doesn’t quit on this one – an absolute masterclass in Highlife groove! Originally released in 1973 as a single, it resurfaced in…
29/12/2020: “I Need Someone” by Kris Okotie
The lightning fast guitar fluttering in the background of this marks it out as a distinctively African disco track. Released in Nigeria in 1980, the…
04/11/2019: “Kita Kita” by Gasper Lawal
Deeply, deeply funky. There’s a nice dub element to this too! The song was released in 1981 as a single on Cap Records in the…
04/09/2019: “Invitation Highlife” by Victor Olaiya
Victor Olaiya is one of those incredibly funky musicians from the height of Highlife. There’s quite a lot of them really! Nonetheless, he stands out…
08/06/2019: “Lagos Sisi” by Bola Johnson
Bola Johnson is associated with the Nigerian highlife and afrobeats scenes. He was a bandleader, but his true skill was with the trumpet. At this…
16/03/2019: “Asa-Sa” by Fred Fisher
Sometimes it seems like Nigeria has produced an extraordinarily high proportion of excellent musicians and groovy sounds. This is more 70s brilliance, this time from…
06/01/2019: “Rough Rider” by The Hygrades
The Hygrades are were a Nigerian funk outfit in the 70s headed by Goddy Oku. His instrument of choice is the guitar, and with his…
21/11/2018: “Come On Home” by Lijadu Sisters
The Lijadu sisters make good times music. It’s sunny, everyone is feeling good, and life is great! The actual sound, close as it is to…