By Martin Johnson

IN THE EARLY '70s, Nigerian superstar Fela Anikulapo fused African high life, jazz, funk and various traditional African rhythms to create an alluring music called Afrobeat. Three decades later, the polyglot style has found a new advocate in the Williamsburg-based band Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra, and tonight the group begins a four-week, Thursday night residency at Manhattan's Wetlands Preserve, 161 Hudson St. The band carries the torch for the style by bringing a diverse set of musical backgrounds to the genre. "We have people who have played rock, funk, ska, samba, Cuban music, gamelan, new jazz, reggae and dub," says drummer Phillip Ballman.

"Right away, we started to see how powerful the music was because it was taking the best of all those worlds. You had solos with depth, complexity and instrumental richness for your head, but at the same time, a killer nonstop groove," he says.

"All of us were like, 'Whoa, this is the best.' It's not often you get to play in a band that inspires people to both listen deeply and to get off their -- and dance." Antibalas was formed in May 1998 by saxophonist Martin C-Perna after he played on an Afrobeat tribute recording. The band grew from friends of friends and various musicians in the Williamsburg area, but by mid-'99 the band had grown to include members from all over the city, and a year later it was playing regularly. The group has released one recording, "Liberation Afrobeat Vol. 1" (Ninja Tune), and finished a second, which it hopes to release in autumn.

Although the band plays mostly originals, true to the spirit of Fela, it endorses a socially conscious outlook. "Because of the kind of person that Fela was, our music has to have some sort of social message," explains Ballman.

"There's a huge gulf between his situation and our situation, but there's never any shortage of hypocrisy and corruption in the world. Things can change, the message in our music is to be vigilant and don't accept everything that you're told." Tickets are $10, $12 day of show, and are available at the venue. For more information, call 212-966-4225.