Adebowale and the Pioneers - Kilofese

Kilofese brings Lagos-born Afrobeat into the present through the voice of Adebowale Osunnibu, a baritone saxophonist who spent years performing with Fela Kuti’s Egypt 80. Released on All-Town Sound, the record draws directly from the city and musical tradition that gave Afrobeat its shape, while presenting a new generation of musicians working within that lineage.

Across six tracks, Adebowale and the Pioneers combine powerful lead vocals, tightly interlocking horns and rhythm sections built for movement. The music moves from the slow-burning pulse of AJO to the faster, more urgent drive of the title track, with arrangements that balance the weight of classic Afrobeat with a contemporary sense of space and attack. Funk, jazz and Yoruba musical sensibilities all feed into a sound that is rooted in tradition without feeling archival.

The title Kilofese translates from Yoruba as “do what you want to do”, a phrase used here in opposition to government control. That political edge reflects a central strand of Afrobeat history: music as resistance to corruption, colonial power and oppression. The album carries those concerns forward through songs centred on freedom, culture and joy, connecting James Brown-inspired funk and the rhythmic innovations associated with Tony Allen to Adebowale’s own perspective.

This 12-inch edition is an Indies-only release through Cargo and All-Town Sound. For listeners drawn to Fela Kuti, Seun Kuti and contemporary African jazz-funk, Kilofese is a direct, muscular set of grooves made in Afrobeat’s home city by musicians deeply connected to its living tradition.