Afrovision

Description

Manu Dibango is eager to showcase the diversity of his music and his ability to follow currents and trends with this album. The album Afrovision, from 1976, proves it: after making his mark in 1972, Manu Dibango is eager to showcase the diversity of his music and his ability to follow currents and trends with this album. Of course, a disco track was a must on any album released in 1976. Afrovision therefore starts with the sparkling and impactful Big Blow. As if to say "now that you have what you wanted, follow me." He follows up with the surprising, and sax-free, Streets of Dakar, with its melodic percussion, its wailing slide guitar, and its smooth and elastic groove. The energy level rises a notch with the tracks Aloko Party and Bayam Sell’am, and the dance floors fill up, then comes Baobab Sun 7, which not only highlights Dibango's brilliance on the vibraphone (just like the title track at the end), but also shows a strong inclination towards jazz fusion, a direction that Dibango will explore further in the following years. And the album ends with the title Afrovision, with its afrobeat groove, its punchy organ, and its layers of guitar.