The Disco Hustle

Disco from Africa? Sound Interesting? In the mid to late 1970's there was an underground African disco movement with groups like Black Blood, Oneness Of Juju, Pacific Express, and Buari that blended disco and funk with traditional African music and tribal percussion grooves.

I've been really getting addicted to this genre of music as of late, leading to the discovery of some amazing findings. One of my favorite albums that I have discovered from this genre is Buari's 1979 LP Disco Soccer. This record consists of some of the most original and amazing disco rhythms and arrangements without becoming too much of a departure from the traditional disco sound that we all love. The record features two dynamite singles with "Koko Si" and "I'm Ready". "Koko Si" is an exotic sounding disco gem that could easily make it's way onto a 1970's adult film soundtrack, while "I'm Ready" is a more straight forward dancefloor-ready disco classic with an incredible driving groove. The rest of the record should not be forgotten, however, with solid tracks like "It's What's Happening", "Feed My Body", and "African Hustle" to help round out the solid LP.

This genre of music's original records tend to be extremely rare and expensive, however extremely good, especially because the genre didn't consist of that many different groups and artists to therefore water the good music down with half quality releases. After listening to a few of the tracks, you can easily see how this music helped influence not only disco and funk, but dub, reggae, jazz, and house music. I would highly recommend giving it a listen and indulge yourself into something new.

Buari - I'm Ready
Buari - Koko Si