The Daktaris

(Redirected from Daktaris)

The Daktaris, whose name means "doctors" in Swahili, were a funk and Afrobeat studio project from Brooklyn.[1] After recording the album some of its members have gone on to be part of the Dap Kings and Antibalas[2] and features veteran Cameroonian drummer Jojo Kuo on drums, vocals, and percussion.[3] The name of the group was inspired by the TV show Daktari, an American family drama series that aired on CBS between 1966 and 1969, a fictional Study Center for Animal Behavior in East Africa.[3]

Cover of Soul Explosion
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Basing its sound on the style of 1970s African musicians like Fela Kuti and Mulatu Astatke, The Daktaris created a fictitious Nigerian backstory for the album Soul Explosion,[2][4] which included personnel names created by TV on Radio vocalist Tunde Adebimpe, a vintage cover, and a "Produced in Nigeria" label. The group makes reference to its apocryphal origins in the track title "Eltsuhg Ibal Lasiti", which backwards, reads "It Is All A Big Hustle".[5]

Soul Explosion was originally recorded in 1997 and first released in 1998 on the Desco label. It was reissued by Daptone Records in 2004.

References

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  1. ^ Huey, Steve. The Daktaris at AllMusic
  2. ^ a b Gale, Ezra (2001). "Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra". Miami New Times.
  3. ^ a b "Daktari (TV Series 1966–1969) - IMDb". IMDb.
  4. ^ Daphne Carr; Nelson George (6 October 2008). Best Music Writing 2008. Da Capo Press. p. 141. ISBN 978-0-306-81734-2. Retrieved 13 November 2011.
  5. ^ Gale, Ezra (2009). "A Beginner's Guide to the Daktaris". The Village Voice.