Vinyl Digest: African Funk, Soul & Disco

Vinyl Digest #2: African Funk, Soul & Disco

400 Genre-Defining Records

Written By Manu Boubli & Uchenna Ikonne

Edited by Andrew Mason

400 essential African funk, soul and disco records, selected and annotated by Uchenna Ikonne, music historian and founder of Comb & Razor Sound, and Manu Boubli (Comet Records, Superfly Records). Seven chapters run from raw 1970s funk through Afrobeat, jazz fusion and disco to the global diaspora, with rarity scores, collector’s checkboxes and full-color original artwork throughout.

For years, coverage of African popular music outside the continent has been sporadic and incomplete, left to a small number of academics, collectors, and a handful of labels exporting the artists deemed marketable. Many African artists, wildly popular in their own regions, reached listeners in the Global North only through those scattershot channels. Recent years have brought serious reissue work and DJs pushing beyond Fela Kuti, Hugh Masekela and Miriam Makeba — but few attempts to dig deeply and authoritatively into the subject.

“Writing a book on African music is like deciding you want to write a symphony — but before you can write the music, you first have to invent every instrument in the orchestra.” — Uchenna Ikonne

AT A GLANCE

400 records: each individually annotated, spanning 1964–2024

7 chapters: Essentials · Raw Power · Afrobeat · Sounds Like Jazz · Disco Craze · Electrified · Global Movement

16 essential compilations with a survey essay on the reissue labels that opened the genre

19 guest selector lists from DJs, musicians, label heads, scholars and journalists

Extended interview with Manu Boubli and Uchenna Ikonne, conducted by Andrew Mason

Rarity scoring 1 5 — from common pressings to the holiest grails; Collector’s checkboxes on every entry

Records from 20+ countries — Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa, Zambia, Ethiopia, Mali, Senegal, Benin, Guinea, Kenya and more

Glossary of 19 regional styles — Afrobeat, highlife, mbaqanga, soukous, kwaito, ziglibithy, ikwokirikwo and more

Full index of listed artists and guest performers; Blank notes pages at the back for want-lists and annotations

Cover Artist Lemi Ghariokwu — designer of twenty-six Fela Kuti album covers, dubbed “King of Covers” by Observer Music Magazine

ARTISTS INSIDE

Fela Kuti · Tony Allen · Ebo Taylor · King Sunny Adé · Manu Dibango · The Lijadu Sisters · Ofege · The Funkees · Orlando Julius · Blo · Marijata · K. Frimpong · Orchestre Poly-Rythmo de Cotonou · Prince Nico Mbarga · Osibisa · Harari · Black Disco · Dick Khoza · Shina Williams · Peter King · Amara Touré · Tabu Ley Rochereau · Steve Monite · Nkono Teles

LABELS COVERED

EMI Nigeria · Decca Afrodisia · Tabansi · Albarika Store · Essiebons · Phonodisk · The Sun · Polydor · HMV · Makossa International · Soundway · Analog Africa · Strut · Comb & Razor Sound · Now-Again · Hot Casa · Matsuli · Odion Livingstone

GUEST SELECTORS

Rich Medina · Eothen “Egon” Alapatt · Quinton Scott (Strut) · Michael Veal · Wunmi Olaiya · Lemi Ghariokwu · Hugo Mendez (Sofrito) · Frank Merritt (The Carvery) · Matt Temple (Matsuli) · Gary Johnson (Mr Bongo) · Temitope Kogbe (Odion Livingstone) · Julien Lebrun (Hot Casa) · Liam Farrell (Doctor L) · John Armstrong · Greg de Villanova · Andrew Mason · Manu Boubli · Eilon Paz

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Uchenna Ikonne

Uchenna Ikonne is a filmmaker, record producer, and author specializing in the histories of the music of Black America and West Africa. He played a key role in the ‘00s revival of vintage African music via his blog With Comb & Razor and reissue imprint Comb & Razor Sound. He has DJed across the globe and worked as a research and licensing consultant, and has curated compilations for Soundway, Now-Again, Luaka Bop, and Analog Africa.

Manu Boubli

A native Parisian, Manu Boubli played an important part in the birth of the French acid jazz scene in the early ’90s. He went on to found Comet Records, producing drummer Tony Allen while spinning eclectic DJ sets, writing for magazines, and compiling rare groove collections. In 2012, he co-founded Superfly Records, one of the world’s leading record shops and reissue labels.