The Afrobeat Goes On

Comments (0) By David Cotner Thursday, Apr 19 2012

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UCLA Royce Hall

340 Royce Drive
Westwood, CA 90024

Category: Music Venues

Region: West L.A.

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The music of Seun Anikulapo Kuti — a frenetic, driven pulse-pounding from the center of the earth — is a labyrinth of sound out of which escapes protest rising up like a great graceful cry from the sanatorium. They call it Afrobeat, and, if Brian Eno — the co-producer on Kuti's recent album From Africa With Fury (Knitting Factory Records) is to be believed, it was one of the three great rhythmic movements to come out of the 1070s (the other being James Brown's funk and the motorik beats of Neu!). Seun Kuti & Egypt 80 follow in the footsteps of his late father, Fela, as bandleader, and it's no surprise that From Africa With Fury has titles like "African Soldier," "Mr. Big Thief" and "Slave Masters" — watch your grandmother get thrown out of a second-story window by government soldiers and see how you feel about authority figures. Despite all the depredation and degradation, Kuti and Egypt 80 persevere. Their music keeps barreling along and everyone keeps dancing, like the incessant ringing of a tolling bell. UCLA Royce Hall, 10745 Dickson Plaza; Wstwd.; Fri., April 20, 8 p.m; $15 & $20. (310) 825-2101, uclalive.org.
Fri., April 20, 8 p.m., 2012