This week I’ve been listening to and loving the reissue of The Daktaris’ debut album Soul Explosion. Released on Desco Records in 1998, Soul Explosion was essentially a hoax that kicked off the afrobeat renaissance that continues to this day. Presented to label runner Basco Mann as a recently unearthed Nigerian funk album from the 1970s, it was released by the unsuspecting label as a reissue of a buried classic. The ruse ran deep, with each of the band’s members adopting fake names, forging backstories, and even printing “Produced in Nigeria” on the album cover. In reality, the members all hail from Brooklyn and would go on to form other influential afrobeat groups, Antibalas and the Budos Band. The success of Soul Explosion reignited interest in the work of Fela Kuti, a true master of the African funk, soul, and jazz. The command of form and down-right catchiness of Soul Explosion have had the effect of canonizing the album in the minds of world jazz enthusiasts despite its dubious origins. Not bad for an album that includes the song titled “Eltsung Ibal Lasiti,” or “It Is All A Big Hustle” written backward. A more punk rock statement in the realm of world music you will not find.
