Femi Kuti announces UK tour dates & shares music video
18 January 2018
Newsdesk
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Femi Kuti will release his brilliant new album One People One World next month, and today he shares the music video for the album title track.
The video was filmed at The Shrine in Nigeria – the dancehall and concert space Femi built as a memorial to his father, Fela Kuti – and is his way of relaying Fela’s most famous message: Music is the weapon of the future. Femi expands on that message, “I truly hope this music and video inspires us all to understand we are all one on the same planet and it’s our duty to defend peace, love and justice and keep our planet healthy.”
The Shrine's Sunday Jump draw more listeners than can possibly fit into the club. "When we built it, there was nothing around The Shrine," Femi says. "Over the years, a neighborhood of homes and businesses sprang up. The Shrine has become one of the most famous places in the country. We keep the price low, so everybody can afford the show." The Shrine allows Femi's music to develop organically, driven by his weekly interactions with the alternative cultural and political voices of his fans, feelings that are then amplified by the music.
One People One World sees Femi returning to the music's African roots. Hints of reggae, highlife, soul, R&B and other African, Caribbean and African American flavors go swirling through the mix, adding depth and complexity to the arrangements, but the influences don't distract from Femi's signature sound. It's pure Afrobeat, with the potent horn lines Femi created for the band punching up the tempo, driving everything forward at a frenetic pace.
Femi recorded most of the album in Lagos, with musicians from Positive Force, and his son, Omorinmade Anikulapo - Kuti. It's due to be released February 23, 2018 on Knitting Factory Records.
Tour dates:
04/05: AMSTERDAM, Paradiso Noort 05/05: GRONINGEN 11/05: LONDON, Islington Academy 13/05: STOCKHOLM 15/05: TOULOUSE, Bikini 19/05: Corbak festival en suisse 23/05: MONTPELLIER, Rockstore 24/05: STRASBOURG, Laiterie 02/06: ANGOULEME Festival Musiques Métis
