Location:
USA, DC

Category:
Rock / World

Try if you like:
Antibalas, Fela Kuti, Femi Kuti

I needed this. I needed something different and refreshing to get my New Year started. That's exactly what the Afro-beat sounds of Chopteeth does for me, gets me going. Damn if these guys don't know how to funk it up. There is some crazy musicianship present on their debut album Afrofunk Big Band. 

Now the band got their name from a Fela Kuti song "Jehin, Jehin". It means crazy fool in Yoruba. The band's goal was to keep Fela's hypnotic groove present in almost every flavor and yet present it in an updated groove. That's exactly what happens on pretty much every track on the album. Some standouts include "Fogo Fogo" and "Dog Days" but you're hard pressed to find a dud in the entire ten-track set. 

"Wili Nineh" is a collaboration with Grammy nominee Cheick Hamala Diabate. In this song he basically validated that Chopteeth are indeed a bunch of Americans but the way they play Afrobeat music is so respectful. 

This is the sort of music that if you can just get through a track or two then you are pretty much sold. It's the type of music that sells itself. The human groove gets going. Chopteeth manage to get into that rare position on almost every song that gets you moving, either dancing or just bobbing your head.