Truly a record exploring the synergies among musics,
Fuji Dub's
Lagos-Brooklyn-Brixton is a transatlantic document that captures the soul-stirring folk rhythms of Nigeria, the spaced-out playfulness of Jamaican dub (via Brixton, presumably) and, as the title correctly implies, the manic, non-stop street beat of multi-culti Brooklyn, U.S.A. The seamless and anonymous interculturalism is intentionally mysterious, too. For example, the liner notes read "The artist wishes to remain anonymous," adding "This is not a 'normal' remix album." Indeed,
Lagos-Brooklyn-Brixton resists being pigeonholed into such easy categories as "world," "dance," or even the considerably fuzzier 'round the edges "dub." But the remix tactics that give body to this five-track, 40-minute album surely fall in this latter category. Multiple Nigerian percussionists and singers provide the fodder for the remixes (with titles such as "Fuji Nite Yam," "Fuji Dr. Ewon," and "Fuji Fe Full"). But the listener is not allowed to indulge in such easy activities as "grooving" to the rhythm the drummers bang out and to which the singers give wing. The mixologists called to cut and splice have done a terrific job of subverting the expectations of field recordings, urbanizing and keeping the listeners on their toes just as they start to think they've caught a rhythmic riff or theme. In fact, the only "name" on
Lagos-Brooklyn-Brixton on which listeners can frame their points of reference is remixer Godwin Logie, whose credits include, appropriately, work behind the boards for both
King Sunny Ade and
Black Uhuru. Expansive, frantic, and ancient,
Lagos-Brooklyn-Brixton is a rare, unpretentious glimpse into the collision and collusion of cultures. ~ Chris Handyside