Alma Afrobeat Ensemble Monkey See, Monkey Do Black Vinyl Edition

Monkey See, Monkey Do is the fourth studio album from Barcelona based, internationally touring Alma Afrobeat Ensemble. This release is the natural evolution of Alma Afrobeat Ensemble’s unique brand of modern Afrobeat, and their most complete, comprehensive and eclectic work to date. While most other Afrobeat bands are going the afro-funk route, AAbE follows their own path once again, as they did with their first 3 albums. “Monkey See, Monkey Do” combines all the elements of classic Afrobeat created by Fela Kuti and Tony Allen while leaving the band’s own unique stamp on the polyrhythmic musical style.
There are socially motivated tunes featuring lyrics in English and Yoruba, memorable call and response choruses, hot solos and fierce percussion. The digital version (a link is included free with the LP) also includes also electronic interludes from some of AAbE's longtime collaborators, such as Ray Lugo (of Kokolo Afrobeat Orchestra), ZA!, and DJ Quiet, as well as a few acoustic tunes featuring Dobro and banjo- not the first instruments that come to mind when you think of Afrobeat. “Monkey See, Monkey Do” flows from beginning to end, providing a complete, modern representation of what AAbE is. The album was recorded, produced and mixed in Barcelona by Fernando Redondo and Aaron Feder, and mastered by Alex Psaroudakis (formerly of Sterling Sound) in New York City, which provides a pumping yet warm and rich sound.
The band has been on the scene for over 15 years, having firmly established themselves in the renaissance of Afrobeat that began with Antibalas in NYC. AAbE was one of the first Afrobeat bands to feature hip-hop (on their second album, Life No Get Dublicate), and one of the few modern groups outside of Nigeria to feature a Yoruban frontman, Lagos native Joe Psalmist. This album is both looking forward at the same time that it recognizes the history of both the music and the band itself. The album continues with the tradition of using an original painting for the cover; in this case a colourful, metaphor rich oil painting from the Congolese artist Dolet Malalú, and the album design is from Txarly Brown.