108 fans
Gasper Lawal’s ‘Ajomasé’ is out now
Ajomasé is the groundbreaking debut album by legendary Nigerian percussionist
Gasper Lawal. Originally released in 1980 on his own label CAP, Strut Records are proud
to now bring this unique album back.
Lawal’s style was forged through decades of high-level percussion work with the
likes of Stephen Stills, Barbra Streisand, George Clinton & Funkadelic, Manfred
Mann, Alexis Korner, Vangelis and Ginger Baker’s Air Force band. Dissatisfied
with existing genre labels and production norms, Lawal began recording his own
album in 1976 at Vangelis’ own studio in London’s Marble Arch before switching
to long, drawn-out night shifts at Surrey Sound Studios, using downtime between
The Police’s sessions for Outlandos D’Amour.
Lawal meticulously self-produced, composed, and overdubbed the album over
four years, assembling an elite group of musicians from both Nigeria and the UK.
The instruments used were often hand-built, including a powerful one-of-a-kind
drum carved deep in the Nigerian bush.
Although record executives didn’t know how to categorise Ajomasé, the people
responded. Legendary DJs like John Peel and Janice Long gave it UK radio play
– a rarity for African records at the time. Demand skyrocketed and, with Rough
Trade stepping in to distribute the vinyl, the album found an international
audience.
