more from
Wah Wah 45s
We’ve updated our Terms of Use to reflect our new entity name and address. You can review the changes here.
We’ve updated our Terms of Use. You can review the changes here.

From London To Lagos / Black Lives Matter (Remixes)

by Eparapo

/
  • Streaming + Download

    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

    Finally, these two gems from Afrobeat supergroup Eparapo, both featuring our Afrobeat Ambassador Dele Sosimi, are getting a full physical release. And as a bonus we're also including two hot remixes from West London producer WheelUP, championed by Jamz Supernova, and Birmingham based funk and breakbeat magician Sam Redmore!
    Purchasable with gift card

      £3 GBP  or more

     

  • Record/Vinyl + Digital Album

    Wah Wah 45s are proud to present a new set of remixes, as well as originals, all released on vinyl for the very first time, from Afrobeat supergroup Eparapo. Having come together during the unprecedented events of the pandemic and the Black Lives Matter movement, and despite being a project born from the privations of lockdown, their music is ultimately an expression of hope, resilience & resurgence.

    Includes unlimited streaming of From London To Lagos / Black Lives Matter (Remixes) via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    ships out within 7 days
    edition of 300  4 remaining
    Purchasable with gift card

      £17.99 GBP or more 

     

1.
2.
3.
4.

about

The word “eparapo” means “join forces” in Yoruba, the language of Afrobeat. It’s also the title of a track by the late, great Tony Allen - drummer for Afrobeat legend Fela Kuti and lifelong friend and mentor of our very own “Afrobeat Ambassador”, Dele Sosimi. Not only did Tony help to invent Afrobeat, he always looked for ways to push the boundaries, never content with recreating what had gone before but constantly expanding and developing the genre. This project hopes to pay homage to his legacy, and that of Fela Kuti himself. Its aim is to innovate, fuse and diversify while still retaining the essence of the music.

The force behind Eparapo is bassist, composer & producer Suman Joshi. He has been a member of Dele Sosimi’s Afrobeat Orchestra for nearly a decade and has performed on stage with the likes of Tony Allen, Seun Kuti, Ginger Baker & Laura Mvula. He is also bassist with UK jazz ensemble Collocutor and fusion project Cubafrobeat.

Featured vocalist on both original tracks, and remixes, is the aforementioned Dele Sosimi - keyboard player and musical director for Fela’s Egypt 80 as well as Wah Wah 45s recording artist on both his solo material and the recent collaboration with house music producer, Medlar.

The rest of the group comprises of bandleader of Afrik Bawantu and percussionist for Ibibio Sound Machine and Keleketla, Afla Sackey; highly rated UK jazz vocalist Sahra Gure; saxophonist, composer, producer and bandleader of the renowned forward thinking jazz outfit Collocutor, Tamar Obsorn; keyboard player, producer and front man for Lokkhi Terra and Cubafrobeat, Kishon Khan; one of the UK’s finest and most in demand trumpeters, Graeme Flowers, who has played with Quincy Jones, Gregory Porter and many more; trombonist for Bellowhead and mainstay of Dele’s Afrobeat Orchestra, Justin Thurgur; and finally drummer for Steamdown and Sons of Kemet, as well as the man behind the Nache project, Eddie Wakili Hick.

From London To Lagos was inspired by a talk given by writer Roberto Saviano at the Hay Book Festival in 2016, just before the Brexit referendum. In it he described the UK as the “most corrupt country in the world”. This was a reminder of how the leaders of so-called developed countries, conveniently suffering from colonial amnesia, still point disparagingly at the rest of the world and talk of “endemic corruption” and “Banana Republics”. All the while the ill-gotten gains of organised crime syndicates, corrupt multinationals and military juntas across the globe are funnelled through financial centres such as London. Same trouble, different methods, greater scale. Of course the best way to divert the population from all this is to find distractions such as populist leaders who declare their countries “world beating” and scapegoats such as refugees, immigrants and other members of the underclasses. It has always been thus but it doesn’t always have to be so.

This track was once more recorded remotely during lockdown and features an all star lineup of world class musicians from the UK Afrobeat and jazz scenes. Members of the Dele Sosimi Afrobeat Orchestra, Keleketla, Sons of Kemet and beyond have come together to create this powerhouse of a band. They encapsulate the meaning of “eparapo” and “join forces'' to fight a common enemy in the shape of corrupt and divisive ideologies.

Its remix comes from WheelUP - the moniker of West London broken beat revivalist Danny Wheeler, who here delivers something of a smoother straight up Afro flavoured house workout that’s sure to be heard across dance floors and festivals this summer. The Tru Thoughts signed artist adds gliding synths and tight drums that ride the original’s hypnotic melody perfectly and make for a future club classic.

Black Lives Matter was obviously inspired by the movement of the same name and was the first track to be released by Eparapo in late 2020. Dele’s voice tell the story slave ships leaving West Africa in the fifteenth century, the brutal conditions that were experienced on board, and the continued suffering of the African diaspora today. As always, half of the artist's income for this song will be donated to the NAACP - a civil rights organisation in the United States, created for the advancement of black people by means of following judicial policies.

The remix here comes from Birmingham based producer signed to Jalapeno Records, Sam Redmore. Sam’s love for breaks and beats comes into play well here, subtly chopping up the original to create a bass worrying version that still sends that very important message of justice and equality - Black Lives Matter!

“Fantastic!” Cerys Matthews (BBC 6Music)

credits

released June 24, 2022

license

all rights reserved

tags

about

Eparapo London, UK

The force behind Eparapo is bassist, composer & producer Suman Joshi. He has been a member of Dele Sosimi's Afrobeat Orchestra for nearly a decade and has performed on stage with the likes of Tony Allen, Seun Kuti, Ginger Baker & Laura Mvula. He is also bassist with UK jazz ensemble Collocutor and fusion project Cubafrobeat.

Photo by Chantal Azari
... more

contact / help

Contact Eparapo

Streaming and
Download help

Redeem code

Report this album or account

If you like Eparapo, you may also like: