The 2002 album Red Hot + Riot is labeled, “The Music and Spirit of Fela - Fighting AIDs in Africa and around the world,” Without getting into a philosophical discussion on the matter, it’s difficult to quantify the “Spirit of Fela.” I found the album rather to be reinterpretations of Fela’s music and musical stylings through modern day artists and styles with varying levels of what I consider to be the Spirit of Fela & his music.

Regardless, It came as a bit of a (pleasant) surprise that my favorite song would be a remix of Sade’s “By Your Side” from her 2001 Lover’s Rock album. While I thoroughly enjoyed Lover’s Rock, all prior Sade remixes to date I found uninspiring, mainstream-house club mixes. This track on the other hand is worlds apart from those.

Layering Sade’s silky smooth vocals from By Your Side with deep afrobeat rhythms and just a tinge of dub, Cottonbelly’s treatment of this track is spot on. It’s an unusual formula when you think about traditional Afrobeat music, but it works quite well.

Sade Adu’s music is widely known, and her association most often placed with the UK, but a lesser known fact is that she was born in Ibadan, to a Nigeria father & British mother… (which is why we’re talking about her here.) Similarly, this track hasn’t gotten much exposure & is largely unknown to most Sade fans.

Enjoy.

Sade - By Your Side (Cottonbelly’s Fola Mix Edit)

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Check out Sade in the Gallery

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