OUT OF NOWHERE COMES THIS

I don't even know what I was looking for at YouTube. Something totally unrelated, that I do remember. I saw in the sidebar some band doing a Fela cover. Whatever, I clicked, knowing full well that there was a chance it would suck. It did not. It ruled.

Newen Afrobeat's cover of "Opposite People" is a trip. It starts out with a nice enough rhythm, and builds slowly. Wait, let's back up here. The drummer is bad ass. You'll see him at the very beginning but wait 'til he kicks in at about 1:26, followed by the horns. (Don't skip ahead. The build up is essential.) Throughout the live-in-studio video, he'll be shown every time there's some cool drum space to fill. And that's just the beginning of what makes this video, and this band so cool. They're from Chile. The lead singer on this particular track is a guest, Fela's oldest son, Seun Kuti. That's about all I know so far. Even their Bandcamp page is short on details. But I'm getting the feeling that I should have known about these guys way earlier. They've been around for eight years. Was someone going to tell me? Sheesh, I had to hear about it out on the YouTube.

Just remember, the drummer is badass.

~ NOTE: ALL MEDIA IS HOSTED BY THE BLOGS & SITES NAMED BELOW ~ 

Listen:
Newen Afrobeat - Debut LP (streaming) at YouTube
Newen Afrobeat - Newen Plays Fela (streaming) at YouTube
Video:
Newen Afrobeat at Teatro San Joaquín at YouTube Full live set
Newen Afrobeat page at YouTube
Visit:
Newen Afrobeat - Bandcamp page
Fela posts - Mp3s and whatnot