Well-trodden territory of crate-diggers, the Lafayette Afro Rock Band usually spring to mind in connection with “Darkest Light,” the sample source for P.E.’s  Show ‘Em Whatcha Got,” Wreckx-N-Effects’ “Rump Shaker,” N2 Deep’s, “Back to the Hotel,” and Jay-Z’s otiose first single from Kingdom Come. Off that alone, they’re invaluable. A world where “Rump Shaker” and “Back 2 The Hotel,” didn’t own 1993 dance parties, is a doom-scenario only topped by a Pleasure Palace run by Biff Tannen or the Republican Party dominated by Rush Limbaugh.

Darkest Light: The Best of the Lafayette Afro Rock Band, aims to prove that the Parisian-based, American-born band was far greater than than the sum of “Darkest Light’s” hortatory horns and “Hihache” (”Nobody Beats the Biz,” “Ghetto Bastard,” “Buck Em Down.”) Originally released in 1999 and since out-of-print, the resurrected Strut imprint gives the Lafayette’s the re-issue treatment, subsequently–and indelibly–boosting the stock of a crew commercially and critically ignored during their 71-82 career.

First known as the Bobby Boyd Congress, the group bounced from their native Long Island to France in 1971. Supposedly, their emigration stemmed from chafing with the packed NYC funk scene–my suspicions run towards them wisely noting Paris’ preponderance of beautiful women by contrast to Strong Isle. Re-naming themselves Ice, they began performing in the city’s heavily North African Barbes District, where they began to incorporate African textures into their bruising funk groove and cultivate a love for esoteric millet dishes. * While the compilation primarily focuses on the 72-77 recordings under the Lafayette moniker, it also includes one-off efforts for the Japanese market, recorded under the names Crispy & Co. and Captain Dax. I can assure you they’re better than the guy who used to be on Punk’d. Highly recommended for anyone with a passing interest in Funkadelic, rumpshaking, and the Marquis De Lafayette.

In Addition to Blocking Cornwallis at Yorktown, the Marquis De Lafayette Was Known For His Mastery of the Funk

Buy The Best of the Lafayette Afro Rock Band

Download:

MP3: Lafayette Afro Rock Band-”Darkest Light”
MP3: Ice-”Time Will Tell”

Stumble It!

This entry was posted on Thursday, February 12th, 2009 at 12:04 am and is filed under Are You From the Lester Bangs School of Thought?. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.