Collaborations

Dele Sosimi’s collaborations include:

Name: Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra New York

Name: The African Jazz Explosion All Stars

Note: The African Jazz Explosion All Stars is lead by Claude Deppa and also includes Toni Kofi, Jason Yarde, Byron Wallen, Fayaz Virgi, Jean Tousaint, Thomas Dyani, Harry Brown, Sam Djengue, Francis Foster to name a few.

Name: Lucky Ranku and the African All Stars

Note: Lucky Ranku and the African All Stars is lead by the legendary Lucky Ranku. Other all stars include Claude Deppa, Fayaz Virgi, Bukky Leo, Frank Tontoh to name a few

Name: Fela Kuti & The Egypt 80

Note: Fela Anikulapo-Kuti was the founder of the style of music known as Afrobeat. The music is a blend of complex but highly danceable funk grooves, Nigerian traditional music (including hi-life), African percussion, underpinning the jazz horns and solos from other instruments, as well as rhythmical singing. Dele was the rhythm keyboard player for Fela Anikulapo Kuti’s Egypt 80 and worked and toured extensively with Fela around the world including:

• Glastonbury Festival, England
• Montreux Festival, Switzerland
• The Hollywood Bowl, Los Angeles

While Fela was incarcerated in 1984, leaving Femi Kuti, Fela’s son and Dele’s childhood friend, no choice but to lead the Egypt 80 on the American tour, Dele spent the years 1984-86 developing his arranging skills as the musical director of the band. He re-orchestrated and re-arranged for the Egypt 80 also recruiting and training new musicians into Egypt 80. Dele played the keyboards on the following tracks, among others:

• Parambulator
• Power Show
• Original Sufferhead
• Customs Check Point
• MOP 1 (Movement of the People)
• Give Me Shit I Give You Shit
• Authority Stealing
• Army Arrangeement
• Government Chicken Boy
• ITT (International Thief Thief)
• Teacher Don’t Teach Me Nonsense

Name: Femi Kuti & The Positive Force

Note: In 1986 Dele and Femi left Fela to form their own band called Femi Anikulapo-Kuti and the Positive Force of which Dele was the musical director and bandleader, he was responsible for recruiting and training the new band members. He was also the rhythm keyboard player and keyboard soloist. Dele and Femi once again worked very closely having a common vision for the band. They toured Europe extensively and played in several of the major jazz festivals around the world such as:

• North Sea Jazz Festiva
• Montreux Jazz Festivall
• Paleo Music Festival
• Montreal Jazz Festival
• Vancouver Jazz Festival
• Angouleme Music Festival
• Roskilde Jazz Festival (Denmark)
• 16th Annual World Jazz Festival Washington
• Africa Fete, Miami Beach

They produced the following albums:

• No Cause for Alarm
• Mind Your Own Business

Wonder Wonder This was the period when Positive Force was invited to perform at the Jazz Club of Nigeria Festival alongside other renowned musicians like Dizzy Gillespie, Randy Weston, Toshiko Aikosu and Didier Lockwood. During these years Dele also explored his own musical ingenious by working and playing with an Afro Jazz Quartet/Quintet and by working in collaboration with a French Bassoon Player called Alex Ouzounoff, to produce a CD titled ‘Made In Nigeria’ courtesy of the French Cultural Centre, Lagos, Nigeria.

Dele left Femi Anikulapo-Kuti and the Positive Force on the 27th of December 1995.

Discography

Solo Albums

• Turbulent Times (Eko Star 2002)
• Identity (Helico Records October 2007)

Fela Kuti & Egypt 80 Albums featuring Dele Sosimi

• Coffin For Head of State KALAKUTA,NIGERIA,1982
• Original Sufferhead KALAKUTA ,1982
• ITT KALAKUTA, 1982
• Parambulator KALAKUTA ,1983
• Live in Amsterdam PATHE MARCONI,FRANCE, 1984
• Army Arrangement KALAKUTA, CELLULOID, 1985

Video

• Fela Live! Fela Anikulapo-Kuti and the Egypt 80 Band 1981, Recorded Live At Glastonbury Festival, England

Femi Kuti albums featuring Dele Sosimi

• No Cause for Alarm (Co Produced) POLYGRAM,,NIGERIA,1989
• Mind your own Business (Co Produced) MELODIE, FRANCE 1991
• Femi Kuti (Wonder Wonder) TABU/MOTOWN ,USA, 1995

Compilations & Singles featuring Dele Sosimi

• Joe Clausell’s “Language” (Gbedu 1)Ibadan Records 1999
• Afrobeat No go Die (Gbedu 1) Shanachie 2000
• Nu Afrobeat Experience (Turbulent Times) Shanachie 2002
• Africanesque (Gbegedegbina) React 2002
• Essential Afrobeat (Turbulent Times) Family Recordings 2004
• Indestructible African Beats (Di Bombs) Manteca 2005
• Sound Affects AFRICA (Tubulent Times – Paul Oakenfold remix)
• Malmaison 2005
• Afrobeat Sudan Aid Project (Tubulent Times) Modiba 2006
• Africa Plays On (Wahala) Wea/Because 2006
• Bad Belle Remix (12″ Single) Fatsouls 2007
• Bernies Lounge’s (Red Mango) Valom 2007

Projects

• 37th State 2004: TY, Keziah Jones, Infinite Livez, Lyric L etc
• Wahala Project 2005 : Femi Elias, Lekan Babalola, Justin Thurgur, etc