Fela Lives!
Featuring Selectors:
Adam Gibbons & Max Pela

Special Guest KC Hallett
(aka 'KCiv' Fela Kuti edit master, getting play from top DJs like Ron Trent, Rich Medina, Osunlade & More)

Live West African percussion by Master Percussionist:
SIDY MAIGA
Live Video Mixing by VJ Jay Medina
Shrine to Fela (Bring an offering)


FELA LIVES! Celebrating it's 6th Anniversary, is an annual multi-sensory traveling tribute to the Black President Fela Anikulapo Kuti, Born from the desire to keep advancing his message and music and honoring his musical innovation, social consciousness and revolutionary activism. Just two weeks from the night of his birth, talented and well qualified DJs and musicians will gather in his name and weave together the music of Fela Kuti, with the music he inspired and was inspired by.

FELA LIVES will feature live West African drumming by Master Percussionist Sidy Maiga, a showing of the documentaries “FELA : Music Is The Weapon” and “Teacher Don’t Teach Me Nonsense” mixed live with other visual media by VJ Jay Medina. We also encourage people to give thanks and leave an offering to him at the traveling and growing shrine to Fela as we seek to connect with Fela's Spirit and call him to celebrate with us on the Dancefloor.

This year, we have partnered with Giant Step & Knitting Factory Records for the promotion of the Knitting Factory’s re-issue of the Entire Fela Kuti Catalog. To find out more, please visit http://www.fela.net/

Past Artists who have performed at Fela Lives!

Adam Gibbons
Ron Trent
KC Hallett
Max Pela
DJ ObAh
DJ Offbeat
Julius the Mad Thinker
RJ Duran
DJ Sabine
Wunmi
The Yoruba Ancestral Group
Amayo's Fu-Arkestra ( Members of Antibalas, The Dap Kings & Fela Drummer Jojo Kuo)
Sidy Maiga


About Fela Anikulapo Kuti:
On October 15th, in the Ogun state of Nigeria, a legend was born. His name would be Fela Anikulapo Kuti. He would become an adversary of the Nigerian Government, take multiple wives, declare himself President of his own Republic, Fight as a voice of the people, arrested over 200 times, be thrown into prison and tortured multiple times all the while, inventing a completely new genre of music called Afrobeat by fusing traditional Yoruba rhythms with Highlife, Jazz, Funk and Soul and recording over 70 Albums in his rich life. During the month of his birth, we celebrate the man, his legacy and his music.