Feeling (& sounding) bulletproof: the best security any music lover could have

Back in the day, in the African nation of Nigeria, a musical genre called Afro-Beat came into existence & with it music which was both danceable & political at the same time. Afro-Beat's first & foremost VIP, Fela Kuti, saw to it that it was & to this day Fela's music has lost none of its fiery, intense, charged vibe; living in a country which was going through so much crap, Fela was not only a spokesperson speaking for his fellow Nigerians who were oppressed & decrying their & his oppressors (of which there were plenty). He was also a very dedicated musician who knew how to get the dance floors of Lagos riled up with the type of music he was delivering.

Fast forward to the present day. In Brooklyn, a musical collective of roughly a dozen musicians named Antibalas (Spanish for "bulletproof") stepped onto the scene with a mission in mind. Though the music which they bring to the table sounds like a resurrection of Fela in his prime, they're not a tribute band. Nor are they to be lumped in with jam bands as they don't focus on flashes of solo brilliance to keep listeners interested in what they have to say. No, this is a group whose mission was to expand on the Afro-Beat vocabulary which Fela Kuti first brought into being over 3 decades before, all the while finding their own musical voices.

Their latest release, Security, is just further proof of Antibalas finding their own musical footing while staying true to their obvious Afro-Beat roots. It is also their first album to feature an outside producer, John McEntire (multi-instrumentalist for The Sea and Cake & Tortoise, Stereolab). What makes McEntire's contributions to Security so unique is that he doesn't intrude too heavily into the musical proceedings. But what he does well at throughout this release production-wise is bring a rich tapestry of color to the instrumentation & at the same time ups the ante as far as musical density goes. No polish, no needless sheen; just rough-edged music which Fela would be proud of. (And to think that this album was recorded & mixed in Chicago; this sounds & feels like Lagos, Nigeria!!)

But the real stars of the show are of course, Antibalas. "Beaten Metal," the album's opening track, sets the tone for all of Security's 57-minute playing time, with the horns, vintage lo-fi keyboards, etc. bouncing off each other left & right. Yet this composition has other influences floating around in the mix besides Fela: Can, Talking Heads, electric-period Miles Davis, & yes, even Tortoise. "Filibuster X" is prime booty-grooving material for the dance floor, with plenty of lyrical moments to be had from Nigerian vocalist Amayo (whose interpretation of "GOP" is sooo reminiscent of Fela's more political rants), & "Sanctuary" is no exception here either. With "Hilo" & "Age," the twelvesome explore their more jazzy, soulful side (again, one key aspect of Fela Kuti's music which made it so awesome). Talk about a musical collective who isn't afraid to explore outside the box (jazz, Latin, Krautrock, funk, besides the other obvious point of reference). Then talk about that same musical collective who is living up to their name: bulletproof as can be. And for sure, they are just that.

Antibalas hasn't brought sexy back. But they have single-handedly brought Afro-Beat back with a vengeance that comes awful close to sexy; look forward to them rocking a dance floor near you. This is music with a message, proof that Fela Kuti is still alive & well in spirit.