Reissues are nothing new.  But last year, when news of the promise of the reissued Fela Kuti catalog surfaced, there was reason to get excited. The newly resurfaced Knitting Factory Records is responsible for the comprehensive catalog overhaul. Last week we caught up with label manager Brian Long to find out why.  Interview after the [...]

If it seems the late Fela Kuti is everywhere these days it’s because he is. He’s on Broadway with the Jay-Z/Will Smith produced musical Fela!, his entire (immense) discography is being reissued in grand fashion, and most recently Now Again Records have released Black Man’s Cry: The Inspiration of Fela Kuti. Available as both a [...]

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 [...]

Truth be told, I haven’t been on a real Fela kick for several years now, but I think that is about to change…it is summertime after all.  Friday evening a friend, rifling through cds in his car, introduced me to the Koola Lobitos 1969 Los Angeles Sessions which, apparently, were semi-rare; as in out-of-print. Though, [...]