Artist info
Genre
Hip Hop, Roots
Sounds like
Antibalas, Fela Anikulapo Kuti
band members
NFA (vocals), 1/6th (vocals), Kuukua Acqua (vocals), Lydia Acqua (vocals), David Marama (vocals/guitar), Simon Edwards (guitar), Zvi Belling (bass), Nui Moon (perc), Julian Goyma (drums), John McAll (keys), Ethan Hill/DJ Manchild (decks), Tristan Ludowyk (trumpet), Andy Williamson (sax), Nick Lester (sax), Declan Jones (trumpet) and Peter Slipper (trombone)
Influences
Fela Kuti
Website
Bio
Inspired by the infectious afro-beat music of Nigeria and its neighbours, The Public Opinion Afro Orchestra delivers contemporary African funk to Australian dancefloors. This mammoth ensemble comprises up to twenty musicians hand-picked from Melbourne’s African, jazz & hip-hop scenes. The experience and creativity of these established musicians energises the group’s original compositions and the sound of the entire band is a force to be reckoned with. The afro-beat movement of the 60’s and 70’s is making a resurgence worldwide in live venues and clubs alike. The Public Opinion Afro Orchestra combines these North African rhythms with hip-hop which has recently become a major force in Australian music and culture. The group is the brainchild of Zvi Belling, Ethan Hill (DJ Manchild) and Tristan Ludowyk who are long time friends and musical collaborators, each with vast and diverse musical backgrounds to draw upon. The band directors recently travelled to Africa to promote the new single and recorded with African hip hop stars Tumi (South Africa) and Modenine (Nigeria). These artists will feature on the band's upcoming debut album, which will be accompanied by a 12” vinyl release. The band’s current single is “Future Africa” features N’fa and 1/6th and was recorded and mixed by Andy Baldwin in New York.
Featured Artist
2009
14
Apr
The Public Opinion Afro Orchestra
(- Antibalas ,
- Fela Kuti ,
- Fela Anikulapo Kuti , ...
Melbourne, VIC
This mammoth ensemble comprises up to twenty musicians hand-picked from Melbourne’s African, jazz & hip-hop scenes. Inspired by the infectious afro-beat music of Nigeria and its neighbours, The Public Opinion Afro Orchestra delivers a contemporary blend of hip hop and African funk.
Tell us about your music – how did you develop your sound?
We play a style of music called afro-beat which originates from Nigeria, made famous by a man named Fela Kuti. Fela used a combination of African rhythms and American funk music to create a powerful style of music with a strong political and social commentary. The Public Opinion Afro Orchestra continues this legacy – both the afro-beat sound and its message – but have introduced an element of hip-hop which gives the music a modern edge and is relevant to our personal experience and contemporary music at large. Typical afro-beat songs can go for 10 or 20 minutes, taking the audience to a space somewhere between trance-like African drumming and a dance set from James Brown.
The orchestra is up to 20 musicians! How does that work?
It’s really an essential ingredient for afro-beat, it’s how you can get the sound of a big horn section blazing over the top of many different layers of guitars, percussion, keyboards and vocals. Many of the orchestra’s members hail from Africa, particularly our vocalists, and many more have been playing African music in various forms in Melbourne and abroad for many years. However, putting together an orchestra out of a group of established musicians means we have to juggle a lot of schedules with artists who are busy recording and touring the country with other groups.
Tell us about recording in Africa.
In February this year, three of the orchestra’s founding members Zvi Belling, DJ Manchild and myself travelled to South Africa and Nigeria, with plans to record but also to research music over there. We travelled with a backpack containing a laptop, an mbox and a microphone, which is actually more than adequate as a portable studio. So first in Johannesburg we recorded with a rapper named Tumi, who we have worked with in previous projects and is well-known in the Australian hip-hop scene and around the world. In Lagos, we met Modenine, one of Nigeria’s most respected rappers, who apart from record on a tune for our upcoming album, became our unofficial tour guide, which in a city of 24 million people is a very handy thing! We were fortunate enough to spend some time with Femi Kuti, Fela’s Grammy award-winning son. We jammed with his band at the Famous Afrika Shrine and came away with some tales of Afro-beat from back in the golden ‘70’s.
What’s coming up in the future?
Currently we’re working on more recording and production for the album, which should be out in the second half of this year. We’ve got several new tracks now as a result of the Africa trip, and the next few months will be spent in the studio, and perhaps some smaller shows around Melbourne. We’re planning to release a few tracks on a vinyl 12” soon, with the album and some national shows to follow.
Australian music is?
... the future!
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Congratulations to our 2010 Big Day Out winners!
Review
Future Africa (Radio Edit)
The Public Opinion Afro Orchestra
I love good afro-beat stuff. I love this.
I love good afro-beat stuff. I love this.
Review
Future Africa (Radio Edit)
The Public Opinion Afro Orchestra
This is so rad guys! You can hear all 20-odd of you contributing to the afro-beat love on this tune. Keep your page updated with your live shows... would love to experience some killer afro-beat so local!
This is so rad guys! You can hear all 20-odd of you contributing to the afro-beat love on this tune. Keep your page updated with your live shows... would love to experience some killer afro-beat so local!
Review
Two Sides of the Truth (fea...
The Public Opinion Afro Orchestra
More goodness from this Afrobeat machine.
More goodness from this Afrobeat machine.