Hailing from the Niassa province of Mozambique, singer-songwriter Feliciano dos Santos is little-known outside of his native country, despite receiving praise from the likes of the New York Times, PBS, the Guardian and the BBC. His band, Massuko, generally sings in three regional dialects, Yao, Nyanga and Makua, and occasionally in Portuguese, the country’s official [...]

Nigeria gained its independence from Great Britain in 1960, resulting in a series of national schisms that gave way to political unrest and military rule that continued officially until 1999 with the restoration of a supposedly democratic government. Many contend, however, that Olusegun Obasanjo’s two victories were stolen, and nearly the entire world condemned the [...]

As our good friend, and fellow afro-beat enthusiast, Gorilla vs Bear, mentioned last week, Soundway Records has just released the compilation Nigeria Special featuring funk, r&b, afrobeat, soul, highlife, psych, and other subgenres from the region. I have many a collection from this era and region, and, so far, this comp is hanging with with [...]