Fela Kuti - The Underground Spiritual Game (2004)

Fela, still due for more of a surge in popularity than he ever really got, has one more chance posthumously with this album. A number of songs from across the entirety of Fela's long career are represented, from the old Koola Lobitos days up through the Egypt '80 period and a short cooperation with Roy Ayers. All of it, though, is remixed by Chief Xcel. The remixing is somewhat minimal -- no flights of fantasy, breakbeats, and the like that comprise the usual course of events in a proper remix album. For the most part, it just seems like the recordings have been cleaned up a little. In actuality, Xcel has doctored the songs pretty thoroughly, but kept them well within the groove that Fela set up. As such, most of the time it's difficult to tell where Fela ends and Xcel begins, and that certainly works to Xcel's credit. Not just any fan of African music, but any fan of music should listen to some Fela. The remasters on MCA are available and fresh as always, as are a couple of new compilations (Music Is the Weapon of the Future is an excellent one), but The Underground Spiritual Game is also worth a hearing or two for its mix of classic and new.