Fela Kuti Bday Celebration with Afrolicious, Lagos Roots Ensemble

FELA KUTI BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION SET FOR
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12 AT THE NEW PARISH IN OAKLAND

Fela Anikulapo Kuti was born in Nigeria on October 15th, 1938. To celebrate his would-be 74th birthday, Bay Area’s legendary champions of afro-beat will join forces for one night at Oakland’s The New Parish next Friday, October 12. To get in the mood, click here to download a mixtape made especially for the event.

ESL Music recording artist Afrolicious started as a weekly party in San Francisco’s Elbo Room, combining live music with eclectic electronic beats under the guidance of brothers Pleasuremaker and Señor Oz. Over the years it has evolved as founding DJ/Producer Pleausremaker (Joe McGuire) alongside brother Señor Oz (Oz McGuire) hooked up with some of the most exciting personalities in the Bay Area music scene and started writing original music under the alias Afrolicious. Afrolicious grew into a 8/12 piece live band that emphasizes the organic elements, instrumentation, and energy of a live ensemble combined with club heavy beats and textures the weekly party has come to be known for.

Oakland locals Lagos Roots Ensemble will be bringing back the sound and original feel of the 70’s in West Africa with actual musicians from that specific time and place. Fronted by Geoffrey Omadhebo, this 15-piece afrobeat orchestra pays homage to the Nigerian roots in an unfiltered form. Lagos Roots has emerged from a long held dream to put together a band of original master musicians with members of a new generation of afrobeat musicians. The band’s performances feature a healthy blend of Fela Kuti & Africa 70 classic repertoire with Omadhebo’s own politically charged compositions, and in classical afrobeat fashion, the music speaks for itself, offering audiences a sharp reminder of the ability of live music to capture a political and historical message and spin it back to the public in a contemporary and provocatively musical way. The band’s line-up also include Tutu Shorunmu (guitar, Africa 70), Christy Agbe (vocals, Africa 70), Candido Obajimi (percussion, Monomono), Sikiru Adepoju (Mickey Hart, Babatunde Olatunji), Friday Jumbo (congas, Africa 70, Monomono) and Babatunde Williams (trumpet, Africa 70, Manu Dibango).