|
Antibalas (Spanish for "Bulletproof"; literally "Anti bullets") is the next generation of Afrobeat. They follow in the tradition of the Black President, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, uniting Nigerian highlife, jazz, funk and traditional African elements with unabashed political messages. This Brookyln-based fourteen-plus piece band hits hard with the left and the right - monstrous horns and bass layered over funky polyrhythmic beats and breaks coupled with furious lyrics challenging and attacking the capitalist system and inciting insurrection in English, Yoruba, and Spanish. But don't expect a revival band on par with traditional cover bands. Antibalas brings Afrobeat to another level with all new compositions influenced by ska and by their cross cultural underpinnings. "When Antibalas started, it had more of a Latin feel," says group leader and baritone saxophonist MartIn Antibalas. "We use the term 'Afrobeat,' but it's funny to make those distinctions, because it's all semantics-so much of this music is borrowed. What we call 'Afrobeat' has crossed the Atlantic so many times-from Africa to Cuba and back-and then filtered through all of our experiences." Antibalas formed in May 1998 by members of Desco Records' Soul Providers and Daktaris. This union of Latinos, whites, Afro-Americans, Africans and Asian-Americans resides in New York, spread out over Brooklyn, Harlem, and the Bronx. Every Friday night for over a year straight Antibalas has hosted AFRICALIA, America's only live Afrobeat party, where they have introduced New York's best dub, cumbia, and batucada bands to the Afrobeat audiences. The group "defies history, "as the San Francisco Bay Guardian reported "They retain a third-worldist view that is both refreshingly oppositional and hopelessly nostalgic. Their credo seems to be 'all nations under Afrobeat.'" This do-it-yourself band have been pressing their own CDs, doing all of their sound engineering, booking, marketing, and hosting a fast-growing weekly party: Africalia, America's only live Afrobeat party. Their new CD Liberation Afrobeat, Vol. 1 was produced in their self-built studio. Members: Martin "Doctor" C-Perna- baritone saxophone, words; Michael "Don Bonus" Wagner- trombone, tenor guitar; Mother Africa- second guitar; Phil "Ekbon Ota" Ballman- percussion, drums; Fernando "Bugaloo" Velez- first conga, bell; Giancarlo "Papi" Luiggi- sticks, shekere; Duke Amayo- shekere, congas, vocals; Luke O'Malley- guitar; Frank "Binky" Stribling- bass guitar; Victor "Ticklah" Axelrod- organ; Jordan McLean- trumpet; Michael "H-Bomb" Herbst- alto, tenor saxophones; Dylan Fusillo- sticks, drums; Anda Szilagyi- trummpet; Ernesto Abreu- congas; Aaron "liquid" Johnson- trombone. |
