The firstNigeria 70compilationwas an ear-opener for fans of Fela Kuti and King Sunny Ade, cultural ambassadors whose Nigerian exports blew the minds of funky post-punks and disco connoisseurs in the U.S. and U.K. in the 1980s.Nigeria 70version 1.0 laid out a banquet of tracks by those men and lesser-known peers: The Lijadu Sisters, Sir Victor Uwaifo, and the mysterious William Onyeabor,subject of a major revival projectdecades later.
The fourth volume ofNigeria 70expands the franchise without diluting it. Nearly half the tracks date to the 80s, with production gestures to match.Idowu OdeyemisOni Suru echoes Onyeabors deliciously rinky-dink synth melodies alongside chuckling brass, waterfall soukous guitar riffs, and a talking drum undertow. Black Precious Color, a 1980 jam by Felixson Ngasia & The Survivals, harnesses 70s black power sentiment to an accelerated disco groove and jazzy soloing;Sina Bakares lean 1977 Africa calls for pan-African unity over the sets hottest guitars (which is really saying something).
A few of the acts here made some impact abroad, among them Prince Nico Mbarga, whose 1979 Sickness here is harder-edged than his sublime signatureSweet Mother, but no less danceable. Most of these acts didnt broadcast beyond their homeground, but it evidently wasnt for lack of chops or charm. This is a cratedigger mixtape to rock virtually any party, and spur digging of your own.