It’s (NOT) What’s Up Front That Counts.

If you have been lucky enough to hear the recently released Nigeria Special, I’m sure you must be amazed at how a small UK based label has managed to get such an authentic feel for a foreign music. Well there is a reason for this…

Although compiled and sequenced by Soundway boss Miles Cleret, who himself has spent much time in Nigeria, behind the scenes were in fact some of the original artists who actually feature on the releases. If you take a closer look at the end credits on the sleeve notes, you will find ‘many thanks to’ Laolu Akins and Berkley Jones of Blo, Joni Haastrup of Mono Mono, and Victor Uwaifo. All legends of modern Nigerian Music.

All these people became involved with Cleret over his many years of researching his way to the roots of modern Nigerian Music. As Cleret confesses, without them the releases would not have possible (or at least would have been inferior), so like West African music itself, the Nigeria Special Series is part of a communal creative process.

This is something really special about West African music and musicians that Cleret is not the first to discover. Please check out the youtube video clip embedded below:

This video features Joni Hastrup on keyboards, Berkley Jones on guitar, and Laolu Akins on percussion (sitting on steps), all experimenting in a jam session with ex-Cream drummer Ginger Baker.

Cleret is in fact another in a line of open and progressive music enthusiasts who have traveled to Nigeria and been fortunate enough to make friends and collaborate with the musicians there (other famous guests include Brian Eno). What makes Cleret’s arrival fascinating though is that he went to Nigeria as a DJ and ended up influenced by musicians. It is this that makes the Nigeria Special series so special, a modern outlook up front, but with the original knowledge behind.

Diggin in Nigeria takes you far deeper than just dusty record shops and boot sales.

Timjim 2008

This work is licenced under a Creative Commons Licence