Nkono Teles // Afromusic Party

Nkono Teles arrived in Lagos from Cameroon in 1981 and quickly became one of the architects of Nigeria’s emerging electronic pop sound, bringing drum machines and synthesizers into a scene still largely built around live-band traditions. Soundway’s Afromusic Party gathers seven cuts from Teles’ mid-’80s solo work, and what stands out decades later is how naturally he folds new technology into the language of boogie, disco, Afro-pop, and funk. The title track establishes the record’s loose, kinetic character, with rhythm treated less as accompaniment than as the engine of the whole production. “When You Smile,” “Sexy Woman,” and “Liba Na Liba” keep the pulse sleek and playful, while the longer “Get Down” and “For Ever” make room for the arrangements to stretch without losing their economy. Closing cut “Martin Street Special” provides the clearest bridge to the broader Nkono Teles story, a reminder that his fingerprints were all over Nigerian pop through his work with artists including Steve Monite, Dizzy K., Charly Boy, Majek Fashek, and Sonny Okosuns. Teles was an early champion of the drum machine in Nigeria, but Afromusic Party is compelling for more than historical firsts. These tracks still feel practical, physical, and built for movement, their synthetic surfaces warmed by an arranger’s instinct for groove, without ever sounding like a period exercise or museum piece. As a companion to Soundway’s 2023 Love Vibration collection, Afromusic Party deepens the portrait of a producer whose innovations helped shift West African dance music toward the electronic future.