New York, NY, USA – Legendary musical revolutionary Fela Kuti’s work will be released on Quannum on September 7th. Crafted by mixmaster Chief Xcel of Blackalicious, the album is an amazing reflection on this luminary’s work as well as the ultimate tribute. A charismatic and controversial bandleader, Kuti was a powerful activist and arguably Africa’s most pioneering and influential musician. The creator of the musical style, Afrobeat, Kuti was and continues to be a major influence over a variety of artists and genres.
As Paul Heck (Red Hot + RIOT) who executive produced the album further explains, “Underground Spiritual Game was Fela’s way of describing the reality that was below the surface of everyday life… This mix brought me back to all the original records once again. That is the beauty of Fela’s music and the Underground Spiritual Game.”
A true labor of love for Chief Xcel before delving back into the studio to work on the upcoming Blackalicious album, The Underground Spiritual Game features such key Kuti tracks as “Africa Centre of the World” which burns with political commentary as well as the compelling “Monkey Banana” and
“Ariya.” The sheer power of Kuti and his body of work is undeniable.
Chief Xcel says of Fela, “He has always been a musical inspiration to me. When the people from Red Hot + Riot came to me, they originally wanted me to remix Fela’s entire catalog but I was intimidated at the prospects, so rather than do it all at one time, I decided to chop it off little by little. Hopefully this will be the first in a long list of remixes I do of Fela’s music.”
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.