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SILA AND HIS AFRO FUNK EXPERIENCE:RAVE REVIEWS
The sounds that most of us know as Afrobeat are born out of the crowded streets of West African cities like Lagos, Accra and Abidjan. Combining the polyrhythmic percussion of indigenous West African music with Fenders and brass, Afrobeat trundled up from the underground to denounce dictatorship, corruption and oppression while still treating dancers and music fans to a seriously good time.Sila, hailing from the East African nation of Kenya, has the same mission, but named his own brand of music Afrofunk, an updated sound that incorporates more trace elements of hip-hop and soul. Sila and his Afro Funk Experience are in the energy exchange business: you give it up, they give it back with interest---no bribes involved. Try that trick with a Nigerian policeman. Peter Koht - Metro Santa Cruz
Bay Area dance kings Sila and the Afrofunk Experience combine an international vision with dazzling musicianship. Frontman Victor Sila rivets audiences with a combination of James Brown's punchy grooves and Fela Kuti's relentless West African swing. Their debut The Funkiest Man in Africa blows away listeners with its relentless rhythm and sharp songcraft, but can't prepare you for the band's potent onstage energy. -East Bay Express
"Sila sings of the African experience: the problems he and many others face every day, in a language understood throughout the world. James Brown would be proud. We love it. Will the world embrace it? We hope so. ... If Sila and the Afrofunk Experience doesn't get you up and dancing, you've probably lost it." - WorldMusicDiscoveries.Net
"Sila's onstage presence-a combination of charisma, enthusiasm and raw sex appeal-along with the band's infectious dance floor centered grooves have earned him the title "the James Brown of Africa", a moniker he accepts with an ever present smile." - The Oakland Post
"The band reflects the vibrant, exciting soukous and Afro-beat sounds of the musician's homeland in its new, dance-floor-friendly album, "Funkiest Man in Africa." - The San Francisco Chronicle
"Embracing his African roots and his love of funk, Sila channeled James Brown for inspiration and six years later, with the help of his renowned cast of bandmates, he's achieved success without having to compromise his heritage (he sings in both Swahili and English) or his musical tastes." - The San Francisco Examiner
EAST BAY EXPRESS CRITIC'S CHOICE & REVIEW
By Eric K. Arnold
AFRO-FUNK
Kenyan expatriate Victor Sila is a man on a mission: to have a seriously funky good time. The founder of a style he calls Afro-funk, he has also named his band the Afro-Funk Experience, which is basically what will happen to you Friday night at Berkeley's Ashkenaz. The Experience's sets are invariably long, sweaty labors of love -- in addition to syncopated grooves, percussive breaks, and Sila's fervent multilingual vocals, there's another, more interactive element. Simply put, the more love you show Sila and company when they're onstage, the more they'll return to you. Now go tell your momma 'bout that.
SFSTATION.COM EDITORIAL REVIEW
By Ginevra Kirkland
Sila and the Afrofunk Experience create music that's like a rubber band ricocheting back and forth across decades and continents. African artists and rhythms influenced many American artists like James Brown and Prince, who the band then listened to and fused with African sounds. Sila leads a talented group of musicians who draw on diverse influences to form a solid, Africanized world beat groove. This group has played with everyone from Spearhead to Ballet National du Senegal. The lineup contains: on djembe, Samba Guisse, on bass SF native Wendell Rand, on horns is the inimitable Mike Pitre, Tai Kenning on drums, guitars by Ken House and David James, percussion by Elvis Nensah, and Jeremiah Kpoh on turntables.
What sets Sila apart more than his voice, his band leadership, or his take on the music is the way he uses all of it to give back to the world. The band is coming off a recent benefit whose profits went to the Save the Children Fund for children in Darfur, Sudan. Sila's blog ( http://victorsila.com/afrofunk/index.php ) keeps tabs on what our government is doing (or not doing) to help resolve the current crisis, and also celebrates the small victories won along the journey.
This hodgepodge of sound is sure to leave the dancefloors sweating and smiling. In Sila's words "When it comes down to it, all that matters is the music."
NITEVIBE BUZZ REVIEW:
What do you get when you combine traditional African rhythms with the sexiness of Prince, soul of Otis Redding and a little James Brown funk? Come find out as Sila and the Afrofunk Experience spread the ultimate international vibe... With Kenyan roots and a progressive love of American music, this will be a serious session on the dancefloor and a unique education for your ears.
Prepare yourself for music that'll titillate the aural senses and move your body to another continent.
SAN FRANCISCO BAY GUARDIAN REVIEW:
When he arrived in America from his native Kenya, Victor Sila had one goal in mind: to weave the music he grew up with African high life, Soukous, and Afro-beat, plus American pop, soul, and funk into a unique, personal expression that would bring people together. Twelve years later he's finally perfected that sound in a blend he
calls Afro-funk.
His latest project, simply called Sila and the Afrofunk Experience, has exploded onto the Bay Area world music scene with an irresistible blend of traditional African and Afro-Latin rhythms, slinky guitar, and Sila's syrupy Swahili and English vocals. The five-piece also throws some crucial reggae skank and hip-hop swagger into the mix, resulting in an upbeat, multiculti celebration that's guaranteed to keep you glued to the dance floor.
