Nigeria 70 Volume 1: The Definitive Story Of 1970's Funky Lagos

"As West African sets go, this is one of the best. It is comprehensive and cohesive in its approach to one incredible period in Lagos. Clearly a labour of love, this compilation will take you back to one of Nigeria's most fertile musical eras.”
Andrew Frankel, Rough Guide to World Music 3, Volume 1: Africa & Middle East

Originally released riding a wave of global interest in Afrobeat at the turn of the decade, Strut’s original Nigeria 70 set broke the mould for African compilations when it first surfaced in September 2001. Digging deep into Nigeria’s archives, the collection showcased for the first time on CD the stunning variety of fusions recorded across the country during the ‘70s, from national icons like Fela Kuti and Sunny Ade to lesser known young bands like Monomono and Ofo The Black Company.

Across 2CDs, the compilation touches on the many subtle regional variations of the time – from the East, the Igbo groove of The Funkees, from the Hausa North, the Arabic flow of Bala Miller and, from Lagos, the hard-hitting Yoruba soul of Segun Bucknor. The set also made available many rare cuts on CD for the first time including obscure soundtrack ‘The Quest’ by Afro Cult Foundation and one of the most requested DJ tracks on the album, Shina Williams’ hypnotic Afro disco classic, ‘Agboju Logun’

‘Nigeria 70’ paved the way for the many fine labels like Soundway and Analog Africa who have since continued to document the detailed story of rare West African music and it has remained heavily in-demand since it was deleted in 2003.