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Anti-heroes: Afrobeat crew is set to funk up Manhatten
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New York Post, Anti-heroes: Afrobeat crew is set to funk up Manhatten >>
By MARY HUNN
Antibalas, a funkified Afro-beat band based in Brooklyn, has up to 17 members in the group at any given time, but even that's not enough.
Founder Martin Perna wants the whole audience involved. And he usually gets what he wants. Driven by the band's funky dance beats, jazzy instrumentals and traditional African rhythms, fans can't help but groove to the layers of sounds.
"The audience is part of the band, no doubt, with their clapping, smiling, dancing, singing and body heat," says Perna, a sax player. "They dance harder and we'll play harder. The live show has the energy of the audience.
"The recorded sound from the band's two CDs isn't the same as the live show, which hits the Bowery Ballroom tonight.
"We try to get that energy on the record, but that's impossible because you can't fit 700 people in a studio," Perna says, while taking a break from recording some demos.
Antibalas, which means anti-bullet or bulletproof, was formed five years ago by Perna.
The music is based on the Afro-beat tradition founded in the 1960s by Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, a Nigerian musician and political activist who died in the mid-'90s. "He was the architect behind the sound," says Perna.
Afro-beat, which mixes traditional West African rhythms with American jazz and funky beats inspired by Parliament and James Brown, takes more than just musical cues from Kuti."He was a very outspoken artist. We try to infuse our music with a message to make a social change as well," says Perna. "We try to be the best musicians we can, but we also keep our eyes, ears and hearts open to see what we can say. We want to show messages of kindness and peace.
"The multi-culti group - which includes Latinos, whites, African-Americans, Africans and Asian-Americans - grew organically - as Perna asked friends, and friends of friends, to join.
"That element of friends has a lot to do with the reason we are still together and make music that's not contaminated by arguments," Perna explains.
Word of mouth and grass-roots efforts have helped propel the band. Since the release of its latest disc, "Talkatif," last March, the group has been touring the United States, Canada and Europe non-stop, playing festivals in the summer and clubs in the winter.
Bowery Ballroom, 6 Delancey St. at the Bowery, $12, 10:30 p.m.; (212) 533-2111. 02/01/03
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