Live in Detroit 1986

This is a recording of Fela Anikulapo Kuti performing with Egypt 80 at Detroit’s Fox Theatre in 1986. He’d just spent two years banged up in a Nigerian prison on a bogus charge of currency trafficking, during which time Amnesty International had declared him a political detainee. But he’s back with a vengeance, complete with still unmatched subversive wit, dynamism, charisma and magnificence. This is vintage late-period Fela which means that none of the four tracks clock in at less than 30 minutes. You don’t get the catchy tunes and the explosive funk of 70s Fela with Tony Allen at the helm, but you do get a slow-burn build, an almost ambient feel and orchestration which veers more towards both contemporary classical and Sun Ra rather than James Brown.

It’s visionary stuff: ‘Confusion Break Bones’ compares the African situation to a permanent go-slow, the mother of all traffic jams. ‘Just Like That’ begins with a speech from Fela and never lets up in its quest for liberation. If you think that Shakespeare’s late plays, Beethoven’s late string quartets and Coltrane’s late albums are amongst the greatest musical art that the human species has ever produced, add late Fela to the list. Tune into this somewhat lo-fi recording and immerse yourself; it’s transformative.