Femi Kuti, Shoki Remixed (Nuphonic)

The sounds of Femi Kuti's Shoki Shoki have been infiltrating DJ booths and club dancefloors since its release last year. For many club-goers and DJs it was an introduction, albeit via the back door, to the thick grooves and rich musical history of Afro-beat. Though veteran Afropoppers will have no trouble recognizing the son of Nigeria's legendary Fela Anikulapo Kuti, for many of them this album could be an interesting introduction to the burgeoning "world dance" scene. Nine of today's hottest remixers have compiled a highly danceable and charged addition to the Kuti legacy with remixes of tracks originally featured on Shoki.

To their credit, the remixers featured here seem largely intent on maintaining the original vibe of the tracks. For the most part, the remixes stay close to the source material, choosing to use re-arrangements of the original instrumental tracks and carefully introduced ambient layers rather than imposing the dreaded drum machine "4/4 thump" (which, to these ears, has rendered many similar attempts at "world dance" fusion rather unlistenable). Two tracks (Joe Clausell's tribal-influenced remix of "What Will Tomorrow Bring" and the Nuyorican Soul Version of "Truth Don Die") make use of overdubbed acoustic instruments, ranging from West African percussion to organ and saxophone. Highlights include: Ashley Beedle's energetic Afrikans On Marz Remix of "Beng Beng Beng", Francois Kevorkian's Old Skool Afro-Dub mix of "Sorry Sorry", and Zenzile's Dub Mix of "Scatta Head", complete with dub trademarks like exaggerated rim shots and super-delayed vocals.

The album is also well sequenced, giving the remixes as much stylistic flow as the original. I would highly recommend this album to any Afropop fan with an interest in today's dance culture, and especially to anyone who is already familiar with dance/club music and curious to see how/where it intersects with the Afro-beat tradition.

Note: This is the Nuphonic label's version of Shoki Remixed; there is another, harder-to-find French-label version with an additional remix of "Blackman Know Yourself" featuring the Roots.

-Ed Klinger

Contributed by: Ed Klinger