5 Must-Have African Rock Vinyls for Your Collection

By Jenna Birdwell

Looking for some new gems to add to your growing vinyl collection? After some enjoyable listening and searching through my hundreds of vinyls, I have compiled a few wonderful albums that sound even better with a little bit of scratchy nostalgia. Just like every primary genre, African rock has so many sub-genres, and the sounds date back to as early as the early 60’s with afro-psych. The Nigerian rock scene became more popularized in the 70’s during a time of turmoil for Nigeria. Our modern funk and R&B wouldn’t exist without original Zamrock and Latin-inspired bands so it’s important to understand the cultural significance of this music. 

Mdou Moctar- “Niger EP Volumes 1 and 2”

Mahamadou Souleymane or better known as Mdou Moctar, has mastered psychedelic western African blues with these EPs consisting of six electric songs. These EPs were produced in Niger and released in 2022 (you would think by listening to these EPs it could date back to the 70’s, which is when Afro rock became very popular). 

The group is consistent in making music and their most recent album focuses on the economic and political power struggles in Niger. 

What is different about the new style of African rock is that is known as Tuareg music from the region of Tuareg, which is hypnotic desert blues. The entirety of the EPs showcase Moctar’s echoing Stratocaster guitar sound that is accompanied by drums that could remind someone listening to a much less polished Stewart Copeland from The Police, but still rocks in its own unique way. 

There is nothing quite like these EPs, for it captures a new sound that has made its way into other parts of the world. Not only does the vibe work well for a long drive across horizons filled with pure nothingness, but your home will be filled with Mdou Moctar’s vinyls that will have you swaying into every room.

Amanaz- “Africa”

If you haven’t heard of Zamrock, it may become your new favorite genre and Amanaz is a staple band that are the pioneers to Zambian rock of the 70’s. “Africa,” is a double album with the second CD being a reverb mix of sides one and two. The recording of this vinyl has been remastered and the vocals are popping but also remain soft in their harmonies between the five-piece band. 

There is nothing quite like the sound produced in the 70’s; “Africa” has the rude fuzzy guitar tone that adds a roughness to the overall vibe. It’s hard to compare such a specific genre with anything else, but this album embodies Zamrock in its entirety. You could say it has notes of heavy rock, folk-pop, and funk all at once and that still wouldn’t do it justice, for the sound is simple in composition, but culturally comprehensive. 

WITCH- “Introduction”

This group which stands for “We Intend To Cause Havoc” is by far one of the most well-known Zamrock ensemble from the 70’s and is even still touring today. This was their first album they ever released and will easily stand out in your vinyl collection despite its colorless cover. 

The vocals are bluesy, kind of like Mick Jagger, but the psychedelia from the fuzzed-out guitar creates an edginess that resembles slow, but classy blues grooves. The sonic clarity of the album could place this album under garage rock; WITCH’s albums became more sophisticated throughout the bands career. One of the most unique sounds used in this album is the use of the keyboard and it has the same glorious effects of an organ in church. 

This album is the first to really set the stage for other Zambian musicians and the industry would not be the same if “Introduction” didn’t exist.

Fela Ransome-Kuti and Africa ’70 with Ginger Baker- “Live!” 

This one will easily get you up on your feet for the entire one hour and one minute. Kuti’s band, Africa ’70, recorded this live-in studio album in 1971 and includes an ornate array of trumpets, saxophones, congas, and shekeres. The Africa ’70 band keeps their roots in place despite the shifting sounds happening all over the world with funk and disco right around the corner. 

Tony Allen, who is the drummer for Africa ’70, was one of the pioneers for afro-beat and in this album, there is nothing short from exciting jazzy solos and collective explosive jams. One of the coolest parts of the album is the shifting from the incredible Tony Allen to Ginger Baker, former member of Cream. Ginger Baker is notorious for his swinging drum solos (and obnoxious personality). Two of the greats in percussion history came together for a live-studio session and there is something special about being able to hear them both, for their styles are so extraordinarily different. 

The calypso style band has its fair share of acoustic and percussion instruments in their discography, and nothing will ever beat Fela Kuti’s magnificent ability to combine all types of genres into his music.