Oluko imo - Oduduwa / Were Oju Le (The Eyes Are Getting Red) '2024

Tracks list

Reissue of the 80s 12” single from Trinidadian musician Oluko Imo (Black
Truth Rhythm Band), featuring Fela Kuti and Femi Kuti. Recorded between Lagos
and New York in 1988, the tracks sit at the fault line of the Trinidad-Yoruba
connection, blending calypso heritage with the Afrobeat and jazz of Nigeria. On
the A-side, title track ‘Oduduwa’ is a brooding slice of peak-era
Transatlantic Afrobeat, blending a heartfelt plea for social justice and
equality with a haunting piano line, shuffling drums and ethereal sax solo. The
song takes its name from Oduduwa, the founder of the Ife Empire, who is also
seen as a divine Orisha (deity) in Yoruba culture, one that is often evoked by
musicians and activists in Trinidad as a signifier of Yoruba heritage on the
island. On the flip, ‘Were Oju Le (Eyes Are Getting Red)’ is a
long-lost slice of low slung Afrobeat featuring both Fela and Femi Kuti. Classic
Nigerian horns and keys combine with Oluko Imo's Caribbean-influenced guitar and
Fela's virtuoso sax solo, bridging the musical gap between Lagos and Port of
Spain.



Tracklist:
1.01 - Oluko Imo - Oduduwa (5:49) 
1.02 - Oluko Imo - Were Oju Le (The Eyes Are Getting Red) (8:59) 
1.03 - Oluko imo, Fela Kuti - Were Oju Le (The Eyes Are Getting Red) (Edit)
(5:23)

Related artists