Son of the beat

>> Afro-beat superstar Femi Kuti builds a musical shrine to his father

By SCOTT C

Femi Kuti has taken over the family business. Now, as hard as it would be for many of you to spend the rest of your life doing exactly what your parents do, sometimes there's just no other choice. As the son of Afro-beat originator Fela Kuti, Femi has had some enormous shoes to fill. Bringing a wealth of African rhythms to the world is something he has always known, having played with his father's band for many years, but now, with the release of his latest album Shoki Shoki, he has injected the better part of himself into his father's creation with staggering results. I spoke to the crowned prince of Afro-beat over the phone from Paris.

Mirror: How do you explain the rediscovery of Afro-beat by the rest of the world over the last few years?

Femi Kuti: Well, let me just quote Miles Davis. He said, "Afro-beat will be the music of the future." When I read that and realized Miles Davis was listening to my father, I was like, "Wow," and it really touched me. I don't want to sound pompous, but my father did play good music, so it's not really surprising at all.

M: Do you think the remixing of your songs was necessary to strengthen the appeal of your album Shoki Shoki?

FK: It definitely was a good strategy. I mean, the remixers liked the album and said they wanted to work on it. They could have said, "Oh, I don't like this kind of music, I don't want to get involved," but the result was great. Maybe some people will recognize one of the remixes and get turned on to Afro-beat and the rest of my father's music.

M: How long did you play with your father's band, the Shrine?

FK: Six years.

M: What, if anything, was the most important lesson you learned playing with that band?

FK: Keep my mouth shut and my eyes and ears open (laughs). I would just watch my father. I don't think I asked him more than three questions about music in his whole life. Once he told me, "When you are trying to write music, write for dancing," and I told him to leave me alone. The youth never want to listen to correction. Later I understood what he meant and incorporated it into what I was feeling myself.

M: Did you already know, prior to you father's death, that you would someday be carrying out his musical legacy?

FK: Not like this, no. Not like this. When I thought I would be filling his shoes, I just thought I would take over his band at some point, because I was assistant bandleader. When I decided to leave, I thought I would never be there anymore. I had to do my own thing and I knew if I didn't take that step, Femi Anikulapo Kuti would not exist today. But I feel like I went in a circle, having to find myself in order to find my father again.

M: Where do you call home right now?

FK: I still call Africa my home. I hate to say Nigeria because I sound so colonial when I say Nigeria. I'm not just talking for the people of Nigeria anymore. But then, I have so many friends. I feel comfortable in Paris and now in America I'm feeling very at home, too.

M: How much of your time do you spend in Africa?

FK: I think last year, all in all, about four months. But I intend to spend more time in the future. What I want to do is get the Shrine ready, because I want to use the Shrine in Nigeria to bring in other bands from around the world.

M: You're talking about your father's old club the Shrine, now, not the band. It's been closed for how long?

FK: It's been closed for a year and two months now, but we're rebuilding it and it should be open in October. A great deal of my time is focused on that.

M: Who are you trying to bring to Nigeria?

FK: Everybody! I've got lots of friends now. Maybe the Roots, Common Sense, everybody!

M: Where do you think musical innovation lies today?

FK: It depends on where you want to look. I listen to everything that everybody is talking about and I ask questions to myself. Why do people like this? Why is this getting all this hype? Y'know? Do I like it? Why don't I like it? I just feel. I make sure that whatever I do, I make sure I mix in my part. :

With DJ Victor Africa at le Spectrum on Sunday, March 26, 8pm, $27.50