Afrocentric music can be considered as the traditional music of Africa. Given the vastness of the continent is historically ancient, rich, and diverse, with different regions and nations of Africa having many distinct musical traditions. It cannot be separated from culture because in culture there is music and in music there is culture.
Afrocentric musicians aim to express life, in all its aspects, through the medium of sound. African music does not have a written tradition; there is little or no written music to study or analyze. There are subtle differences in pitch and intonation that do not easily translate to Western notation.
Lavolta Entertainment, a reputable record label and entertainment company, manages Lavolta Stars; a band that does Afrocentric conscious music with a preference for Afro-soul, Afrobeat, Highlife music, and Afro-jazz.
Lovolta Stars, as a music band, is driven by cravings for Afrocentric and conscious music. It has been motivated by the success of great African music icons like Fela Anikulapo Kuti, Sir Victor Olaiya, Cardinal Rex Lawson, Sir Victor Uwaifo, Ik Dairo, Chief Eddy Okonta, Manu Dibango, Oliver De Coque, Kola Ogunkoya, Femi Kuti, Dr. Orlando Owoh, Orlando Julius to mention just a few. This of course is evident in the style and substance of its music.
On June 26, 2020, Lavolta Stars released a single titled Wetin Dey Occur. This song is truly a soul-lifting sound that was inspired by the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to one of the lead singers, Daniel Lombin Ogheneochuko. He stated that people dying, countries closing their borders and shutting down, economies collapsing, hunger, poverty, people going into isolation, and social distancing; we were virtually living worse than animals. So the stars including the management and record label decided to do something to bring relief, hope, and succor to the world through music, and the idea of their hit single, Wetin Dey Occur (Translated as What’s going on), was born. He added that the single is a fusion of Afrobeat and Highlife, delivered in a melodious vibe to help soothe the pains the world is going through due to this very highly destructive pandemic.
Truly, the Lavolta Stars band has been taking on the coloration of its society by ensuring it captures the reality of the people as expressed Agbedegbeyoni, which was released on December 24, 2020 and When The Music Plays to celebrate the year 2021.
The word ‘Agbedegbeyoni’ connotes the individual that understands the grassroots of a culture. This song carries the authentic feel of African music and sound. A modern band on a mission to take your musical sense back to the good old days, while When The Music Plays, released less than a week after Agbedegbeyoni, represents the totality of the Nigerian traditional sound as all the musical instruments used were played live and recorded directly. And these included Agbamole, Iya-Ilu Bata, Gangan plus the Omegle Ako Bata, while maracas and drum kit were used for the percussion section.
Lavolta Stars represents culture and music as it expresses life in all its aspects through the medium of sound. An Afrocentric band that is culturally grounded, codifies and integrates common cultural experiences, values, and interpretations that cut across people of African descent. Its music has given people a sense of self, sense of meaning and purpose, in an attempt to offer solutions to better manage life challenges.
In honour of the 2021 World Music Day which was held on the 21st of June, the managing director of Lavolta Entertainment, Adeyemi Adegbola, while showing solidarity with all music lovers stated that music is life; an explosive expression of humanity.
“It is something we are all touched by,” he said, “according to Billy Joel, ‘No matter what culture you’re from, everyone loves music.'”
This can be seen in the ways and techniques of the band as the record label boasts of several contemporary musicians who are seasoned and dynamic musicians and instrumentalists with the passion and drive for quality music. They came together in 2017 to form a group to offer quality and conscious music.
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