All week on Sound Travels I've been asking the listeners, particularly those on Facebook, to help pick the destination for our Travels. Today, there was no tie, as listeners went straight for the funk...
...so funk is what they got and I wasn't lying when I said it was gonna be 18 minutes of it. The kicker, it's actually a single song. A sublime slice of West African funk from a band called The Talents Of Benin. Led by singer Idemundia Cole, this band actually hailed from Nigeria's Benin City, some 200 miles from the country also called Benin. More than a geographic curiosity, this band could jam and the song I played today is proof. Coming in at 18 minutes in length, you'd need some stamina to dance the full jam but this funky bit of Highlife is well worth the workout. And if you like this sort of thing, there are all kinds of funky freebies at likembe.com(including this song), where Milwaukee blogger John B. sets new standards of historical insight and exclusive links to dusty-deep afro grooves...
Talents Of Benin "Ovbiokhokho" Talents Of Benin