Knitting Factory records reissues 1977 album “Mother Africa” by Nigerian Afropop duo the Lijadu Sisters

Knitting Factory Records, known for reissuing the Fela Kuti catalog, is set to release their second reissue by the Nigerian artists the Lijadu Sisters from their ’70s Afrodisia releases, 1977’s Mother Africa, on February 28, 2012. To get a feel for the album’s unique mix of traditional Yoruba music and Western 70s pop/rock check out the track “Bayi L’ense,” which features a psychedelic fuzz guitar track laid over talking drums.  

Cousins of Fela Kuti, the Lijadu Sisters, twins Taiwo and Kehinde, were a rarity in Nigeria at that time. Not only were they female in an industry dominated by male artists but they wrote their own material, which was often political and always topical. Recorded at the famed Decca studios in Lagos, Nigeria, the hotbed of the Nigerian music scene at that time, the albums combine Afrobeat, Western and UK pop music and reggae.

Long out of print, these albums have never before been available on CD or digitally; they’ll also be available on vinyl and all formats will include the original artwork. Remastered from recordings taken off the original vinyl LPs (the tapes have long been lost), these recordings sound as urgent and timely today as they did set against the turbulent scene of Nigeria in the ’70s. The releases are as follows:

Danger  (1976) - November 8, 2011

Mother Africa  (1977) - February 28, 2012

Sunshine (1978)  - 2nd quarter 2012

Horizon Unlimited (1979) - 3rd quarter 2012   

Mother Africa, unlike Danger,  which is sung in English,  is mostly sung in the sisters’ native Yoruba dialect. The twins’ glowing melodies and warm harmonies are as before, but the accompanying band’s lineup and arrangements, both still co-directed by multi-instumentalist Biddy Wright, owe less to rock and funk and more to traditional Yoruba music. The core band comprises Wright on guitars, sometimes electric but as often acoustic and played in palm-wine/highlife style; talking drums; and a shekere. Wright’s brilliant mix of traditional Yoruba instrumentation with electric guitar and a Western pop sensibility make this a must-hear album.    

The album opens and closes with two versions of “Osupa.” It is sung to the moon, asking her to light up the night, as she did when people sat outside their houses eating and storytelling, in earlier times. Both feature talking drum, but the closing “Osupa 2,” taken at a slightly faster pace, also includes electric guitar. Non-Yoruba speakers may not  understand the words, but the song’s general ambiance - a peaceful, soothing one - is clear.    

The second track, “Iya Mi Jowo” (“mother please”), is a rearrangement of the Lijadu Sisters’ original 1968 recording for Decca. It was the first song Taiwo wrote; there’s an attractive highlife lilt to the song.  

“One day, when we awoke,” says Taiwo, “our mother was cold to us. When we returned from school, she was still cold. We had somehow disappointed her. I sat down and wrote the song - which says ‘whatever I have done to sadden you, mother, please, forgive me’ - at her feet. The whole thing just came out. At the end, I looked at her, and she was crying.”   

“Bayi L’ense,” which follows, has a deep, funky groove which resonates with contemporary apala, fuji and waka music (waka was the female version of apala and fuji, both male preserves). The album’s fuzz guitar solo wouldn’t sound out of place on a Creem album, and there is a link to the legendary UK band: “Bayi L’Ense” is about “two-faced people” - including, but not limited to, those who used to criticise Taiwo for going out with Creem/Blind Faith musician Ginger Baker (a white man!).

“Dibe Nuwa,” sung in Yoruba and Ibo, is a plea for peace in the world. The 1967-70 civil war between Federal Nigeria and its eastern state, Biafra (the home of the Ibo people), was still raw in the national psyche, and its memory helped inspire the lyric.

The reason the Lijadu Sisters aren’t well known today, except by collectors, is that Kehinde, while the duo was touring North America with King Sunny Ade in 1980, suffered a severe spinal injury.  The accident threatened to finish the Lijadu Sisters’ career, and it kept them out of the public eye until 2011, when Knitting Factory’s reissue program began.     

During Kehinde’s recovery, the sisters’ were sustained by their embrace of the traditional Yoruba belief system Ifa (which has a divination strand of arcane complexity and infinite nuance), and their study of the use of herbs in healing 

The Lijadu Sisters are still inseparable and living together in New York City, working with Knitting Factory Records to make their music available again.  Here’s a recent video interview of the sisters filmed in their Harlem apartment, which they’ve made into a Yoruba temple:  http://www.thefader.com/2011/12/05/at-home-with-the-lijadu-sisters.    

Out Today: LIJADU SISTERS re-issue 1976 Afrobeat classic “Danger” on Knitting Factory Records

New York, NY - November 8, 2011: Knitting Factory Records is releasing the first of its Lijadu Sisters re-issues today, 1976’s Danger. One listen and it’s clear that these recordings sound as urgent and timely today as they did set against the turbulent scene of Nigeria in the ’70s. Danger, recorded at the famed Decca studios in Lagos, Nigeria,is as funky and mellifluous as it gets, with the twins’ gorgeous harmonies underpinned by a solid Afro-rock beat and framed by multi-instrumentalist Biddy Wright’s funky organ and guitar work. The album was remastered from recordings taken off the original vinyl LPs and features the original artwork. This is the first time Danger has been available digitally and on CD; it will also be re-issued on vinyl.     

Download or stream he title track, “Danger,” HERE.     

Strikingly beautiful, outspoken and determined to call their own shots, twins Taiwo and Kehinde were a rarity in African music at that time; they insisted on complete control of their careers and wrote their own songs, which were honest, often political and from a female point of view. They were massive in Nigeria and had success in the UK and US, touring with King Sunny Ade, Art Blakey, Ginger Baker and other legends before  Kehinde was injured while on tour in US. Fast forward over 30 years. Knitting Factory Records discovered the Lijadu Sisters living in New York City and began working together with them to preserve their musical legacy.      

Lyrically, most of the songs address social and political issues, sometimes directly, sometimes through metaphor and allusion. “Danger,” the uptempo opener and title track, is on one level about a “dangerous lover.” But in the wider context of the times — with the police and army’s abuses of power running rampant and otherwise unchecked (Fela Kuti,  released his eviscerating classic Zombie in 1976) — it serves as a glimpse of life on the edge in Nigeria during those turbulent political years.       

Although not as well known as their cousin Fela Kuti, the Lijadus’ potent blend of Afrobeat, Western R&B and pop music and reggae, with the sisters singing in both English and Yoruba, is a must-have for any Afrobeat fans.   

The sisters are planning select shows timed around these releases; stay tuned for updates here: http://www.knittingfactoryrecords.com/artists/the-lijadu-sisters/media   

View a clip of The Lijadu Sisters at Decca Studio in Lagos in the ’70s HERE.   

To order Danger go to:  

http://www.knittingfactoryrecords.com/artists/the-lijadu-sisters/store.    

Danger  track listing:

1          Danger
2          Amebo
3          Life’s Gone Down Low
4          Cashing In
5          Bobby
6          Lord Have Mercy  

Knitting Factory Records to re-issue four classic releases by Afrobeat twins the LIJADU SISTERS

Stream the title track, “Danger,” HERE 

New York, NY - October 6, 2011: Knitting Factory Records is proud to announce the release of four long out-of-print albums by Nigerian twins The Lijadu Sisters, Taiwo and Kehinde. The sisters, cousins of Fela Kuti, were a rarity in Nigeria. Not only were they female in an industry dominated by male artists but they wrote their own material, which was often political and always topical. Recorded at the famed Decca studios in Lagos, Nigeria, the hotbed of the Nigerian music scene at that time, the albums combine Afrobeat, Western and UK pop music and reggae, with the sisters singing in both English and Yoruba.  

The releases are as follows:
Danger  (1976) - November 8, 2011
Mother Africa  (1977) - 1st quarter 2012
Sunshine (1978)  - 2nd quarter 2012
Horizon Unlimited (1979) - 3rd quarter 2012   

Long out of print and prized by collectors, these albums have never before been available on CD or digitally; they’ll also be available on vinyl and all formats will include the original artwork. Remastered from recordings taken off the original vinyl LPs (the tapes have long been lost), these recordings sound as urgent and timely today as they did set against the turbulent scene of Nigeria in the ’70s.    

The series will kick off with Danger on November 8, 2011; the Lijadu Sisters’ first release on the Afrodisia label.  Danger is as funky and mellifluous as it gets, with the twins’ gorgeous harmonies underpinned by a solid Afro-rock beat and framed by multi-instrumentalist Biddy Wright’s funky organ and guitar work. Danger has a vibe of uplifting positivity which would be a feature of all four of the Lijadu Sisters’ Afrodisia albums.   

Lyrically, most of the songs address social and political issues, sometimes directly, sometimes through metaphor and allusion. “Danger,” the uptempo opener and title track, is on one level about a “dangerous lover.” But in the wider context of the times - with the police and army’s abuses of power running rampant and otherwise unchecked (Fela Kuti’s eviscerating Zombie  was also released in 1976) - it serves as a glimpse of life on the edge in Nigeria during those turbulent political years.   

The reason the Lijadu Sisters aren’t well known today, except by collectors, is that Kehinde, while the duo was touring North America with King Sunny Ade in 1980, suffered a severe spinal injury that has kept them out of the public eye until now.  They’re living in NYC and have been very hands on with the project, working with Knitting Factory Records to make these albums available again. The sisters are also planning select shows timed around these releases; stay tuned for updates. 

The Lijadu Sisters were featured in Konkombé, British director Jeremy Marre’s 1979 film on the Nigerian pop scene and were a hit in the ’80s on the UK television show, The Tube. View a clip of The Lijadu Sisters at Decca Studio in Lagos in the ’70s HERE. 

Please contact me for press or interview requests with the Lijadu Sisters, or to be serviced with this amazing release.  More information is available at http://www.knittingfactoryrecords.com/artists/the-lijadu-sisters/bio    

To pre-order Danger go to:  

http://www.knittingfactoryrecords.com/artists/the-lijadu-sisters/store.    

Danger  track listing:
 

1          Danger
2          Amebo
3          Life’s Gone Down Low
4          Cashing In
5          Bobby
6          Lord Have Mercy