It was the sound of post-independence Nigeria, a time of celebration and wealth but, ultimately, of political oppression. The music reflected the times - a heady mix of traditional rhythms and big band highlife with the new rock, soul and jazz sounds crackling through transistor radios from Europe and the US the rulebook of Nigerian musical heritage was ripped up as Santana, the Beatles and James Brown became as relevant to young players as Haruna Ishola, Victor Olaiya and Et Mensah. Led by the towering influence of Fela Anikulapo Kuti, established Nigerian stars and the rawest of college bands alike forged new fusions and began using their music confidently as a vehicle for new variations of traditional parables and thinly veiled social commentary. Back in 2001, the first edition of Nigeria 70 on Strut broke the mould for African compilations, a 3cd powerhouse featuring a wide spectrum of musical styles from across the 1970s and an audio documentary tracing the music's history. For 2008, Strut delve deeper into the Lagos underground for another essential box of West African dynamite. From the heavy jazz of Peter King to Bola Johnson's scratchy afro funk and the rolling grooves of juju legend Sir Shina Peters, this is some of the best music ever to emerge from Africa during the '70s. Compiled by leading afro archivist Duncan Brooker and Strut's Quinton Scott, Nigeria 70 comes featuring extensive sleeve notes by author John Collins.
