nigerian boogie & funk classics revisited

 











 

 
 
back in the days when we wandered over the net looking for funky afro sounds,
we used to visit a website called “boogieheads show” often, which run by
mr. obafunkie jr, a london based nigerian dj. there, among a bunch of quality selections of modern boogie, nu jazz, neo soul or broken beats, you could also enjoy heavy afro funk, disco, rock & afrobeat sets. the series of afro selections was titled “made in nigeria”. it told a rich modern afro groove reserves lay in the era of the vinyl records, in nigeria.

“made in nigeria special vol.7” and “vol.8” are very good examples of the series, and very best of the funky soundz of nigeria in the 70s and 80s. they have been essential food for our souls. they were hosted by the guest dj uchenna ikonne aka mr. comb and razor, a man behind the most of the recent reissues of nigerian funky music, not only out on his own label comb and razor sound but on soundway or now-again.

it has been some time since they were deleted from the net but by courtesy of uchenna, we re-upload his classic mixes here. please enjoy them along for a while - until the arrival of uchenna’s brand new one!



  
 

 
  “ Alright, let's go back in time a little bit. About 5 years back. Or maybe 30.
I've always felt that nostalgia is the refuge of those who feel uninspired by the present. And that's where I was five years ago. I had hit a bit of a rough patch in life and the immediate future didn't look like it was getting any brighter.
 So I started receding into the past, wrapping myself in the warm comfort of memories of a happier time and place: The early 80s, when I seriously started getting into music and the reigning sound on radio was the bright, funky music that we today call ‘boogie’.
 At this point, I never considered myself to be a ‘digger’ as such. I did buy a good amount of vinyl (mostly vintage soul, funk, rock and hip-hop) and whenever I went home to Nigeria for a visit, I would try to pick up a few old records as a casual souvenir of my childhood. But I was not really ‘in the community,’ so to speak.
 But through listening to these old records and recollecting my knowledge about them, I came to know a guy named Obafunkie Jr. who, like me, had grown up in Nigeria in the 80s and had found a deep reconnection with his past through these pieces of vinyl. He hosted a podcast called ‘boogieheads’ that played an array of post-disco dance music, but the most popular episodes of his show were the ‘made in nigeria’ ones. So given our similar interests, he invited me to fill in for him for two episodes.
 The technical quality leaves a little to be desired, but I still enjoy listening to these podcasts because they represent the baby steps in a journey I continue now as a DJ, collector, and historian of Nigerian music. I hope you all dig them too.
 Shout out to Soul Bonanza for giving me the opportunity to revisit a more innocent time, and I hope to have up a new Afro mix soon!”

- uchenna ikonne




 
  made in nigeria vol.7 - soundz of the 80s



download mp3



made in nigeria vol.8 - soundz of the 70s



download mp3



7 comments


 

 
<< prev next >>