Bobbysix.com's End of Year Review 2011 - 25ThC

In the latest of the Bobbysix.com End Of Year Review series, which will culminate in a grand announcement of the overall winners later this week, 25ThC - or Christos to those of us that know him intimately - tells us what has been floating his boat in 2011:

Top 5 albums
1. Hot Sauce Committee Part 2 - BEASTIE BOYS
2. From Africa With Fury Rise - SEUN KUTI
3. Battle for Seattle - LITTLE ROY
4. Hotel Shampoo - GRUFF RHYS
5. King of Limbs - RADIOHEAD

Top 5 gigs
1. Amon Tobin - HMV Forum, London
2. DJ Shadow - Dome, Brighton
3. Quantic and his Combo Barbara -  Scala, London
4. Jehst - Fabric, London
5. Rodney P + Skitz - Concorde 2, Brighton

Top 5 TV shows
1. Angry Boys

 

2. Dexter

3. Frozen Planet
4. Top Boy
5. Choosing To Die

Highlight of the year.
That Channel 4 and E4 have finally stopped showing Friends after 16 years!

2011 in words
The year that everyone really started to realise what a bind money and lack of it can be.

Prediction for 2012 That our world may well change beyond our comprehension come 21st December 2012 and the end of the Mayan calender.

25ThC - Contributor

As well as loving a diverse range of music, 25ThC is also an excellent photographer and DJ. He is the founder of the legendary Funky Junk nights.

Seun Anikulapo Kuti & Egypt 80 - From Africa With Fury: Rise

Son of Fela. Brother of Femi. Seun Kuti is the latest successor to the afrobeat crown. When his father died in 1997, Seun, then just 14, became the lead singer of his band, Egypt 80. He spent the next few years honing his skills before, in 2008, releasing his debut album Many Things to critical acclaim. Now comes the Difficult Second Album in the form of From Africa With Fury: Rise.

Seun has joined up with super producer Brian Eno on this album and the production is largely similar to the debut LP. It is an intense ride through long building, chugging rhythms and melodies. There are some heavyweight brass sections and plenty for the dancers to grind their hips to.

These eight new tracks find Kuti continuing his father's legacy in attacking and highlighting many of the problems with Nigeria and Africa in general; in particular longstanding dictators on African Soldier and multinational oil and diamond companies on the epic title track Rise.

Not only does From Africa With Fury: Rise illustrate Kuti's ever growing confidence, it also shows that his father's spirit is very much within him. This is especially true in his live shows - with his gruff style and his wild, semi-naked antics on stage. Having experienced his gig last year in Brighton, I for one cannot wait to see these songs performed in front of me and a smiling, gyrating, sweaty crowd.

Review by 25ThC. Below are a couple of his snaps from the aforementioned gig in Brighton last year.