Afropop and afrobeat have been around ever since Fela Kuti and Tony Allen sat down together and produced those wonderful songs way back when... Talking Heads and Paul Simon then took influence from it and created some fantastic music on their respective albums Remain in Light and Graceland album. However, since then there have been scant with pop bands referencing afrobeat. Yes, Manu Chao and Amadou & Mariam* have had a fair amount of success, but it wasn't really until Vampire Weekend last year - and to some extent TV on the Radio, The Foals and Yeasayer - that there were succesful indie bands who explicitly pointed to afrobeat as a direct influence.
* Amadou & Mariam's Damon Albarn produced Sabali is by the way one of 2008's definite highlights
Vampire Weekend - Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa
Lo and behold, now it seems that afrobeat influences are cropping up in pop and it's great. Afrobeat has such a happy sound to it which really fits pop and makes for great infectious happy music. Two recent examples - and personal favorites, of course - are Slow Club and Jack Peñate's recent singles.
Sidebar: Knowing Peñate's last output this new direction is markedly different and so much better than the Wham!-inspired pop he did before (Wham! as inspiration... Wtf?).
Anywho, enjoy these bits of afrobeat-tinged pop:
Slow Club - Because We're Dead
Jack Peñate - Tonight's Today
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