Iâm about to take a page from Anthony Fantanoâs playbook of being the âInternetâs busiest music nerd,â which is a title that makes me cringe and laugh at the same time (long story short, I donât like Fantano whatsoever; even when I first got into music, as well as being a critic, I never liked him. I always thought he was the epitome of the stuffy, pretentious, and snarky critic that hated everything, as well as had to be super judgemental about everything. The stuff that he did like, however, was practically unlistenable and inaccessible garbage that no normal person would give two shits about, but Iâm getting way off topic), because Iâll be talking about a very obscure artist and record today. That would be 1980âs Aleke by Nigerian afro-funk / jazz-funk artist Aleke Kanonu. Good thing that I donât make videos, because that would be a bitch to pronounce, huh? Anyway, Iâm sure everyone reading this is like, âHuh? Whoâs that,â and youâd be right to say that, because if you talked to me just a few weeks ago, I would have said the same thing. I was looking up some funk music on Bandcamp, and I came across this LP. I thought that it might be worth looking into, because Iâve always kind of wanted to get into jazz-funk. It would be good to talk about something a bit more obscure, as well as out of my wheelhouse, because going out of your comfort zone can be a good thing sometimes. This album just got reissued by a record label in Europe, which is how I was able to get a copy of it, but I thought the album would be interesting to listen to, because itâs different for me. Maybe Iâd like it, maybe I wouldnât, but it would be worth listening to, either way. Thatâs the risk that you take with going out of your comfort zone, for better or worse. Hell, Iâd say that itâs always a good thing to go out of your comfort zone, but itâs not just because that you might find some stuff that you end up liking. Itâs because that youâll have a better understanding of what you like or dislike.
When it comes to this LP, well, I donât know how I feel about it. Iâve given Aleke a handful of listens, and this is one of those albums that I just donât know how I feel, because there are things I like about it, and things I donât like about it, but Iâm not sure where I fall. Letâs start with what I donât like, because itâs good to get the negatives out of the way first. The main thing that I donât like is how experimental it is. I mean, I knew that going in, as this LP is a jazz-funk album. Itâs very free-flowing, and while itâs short, itâs very long-winded. This LP is 38 minutes, but itâs only four songs. Every song is around ten minutes long, give or take, and while theyâre interesting, unique, and jazzy, I canât say that Iâm too crazy about them. Theyâre good songs, and I enjoy the album, but itâs not an album that I want to keep coming back to, because itâs relatively weird, unique, and off the wall, just not in an accessible or immediate way. At the same time, though, yeah, itâs unique, different, and interesting, because itâs more in the vein of world music. Itâs got an African sound to it, and thatâs cool, but itâs something Iâm not used to. That doesnât mean itâs bad whatsoever, but I canât say that Iâm digging this too much. Maybe I guess I donât really care for this too much, but I do like it. Itâs not bad by any means, and itâs a really interesting album from a very obscure artist that only released a couple of albums, if not just this one. I just donât know to recommend this to, because this isnât for the most casual funk fans, especially those that enjoy 70s funk at its height, and itâs not for people that donât listen to that kind of music, either, because itâs really weird and different. I mean, I guess if you want something different, off the wall, or just plain weird, this is worth a listen. I donât know how youâll feel about it, but itâs worth a listen, regardless.
