Fela Kuti in Dub
May 29, 2026
Electronic / Dub
Fela Kuti has been rediscovered all around the globe in the last 20 years in ever changing inspirational ways. Probably there is no major city in Europe or the US today without an ensemble that heavily references Fela Kuti. For some it is the power and impact of his political message, the uncompromising life in Kalakutta republic fighting Nigeria’s military government, or the legendary shrine where he used to perform. In the early 70ies Fela Kuti (along with his longtime drummer Tony Allen (RIP)) created an infectious sound called Afrobeat. A sound that only recently has been rediscovered as an alternative narrative to afroamerican Jazz in the new British Jazz explosion by bands like Sons of Kemet, Kokoroko or Ezra Collective. Fela Kuti in Dub takes us to one of Germanys hubs of Fela Kuti admiration: a small studio in the bluecollar district Untergiesing in Munich. This is the workspace of drummer, producer, dub fanatic, music nerd, DJ and connector: Captain Yossarian. The studio complex is home to an illustrious group of musicians: Krautrock pioneers Embryo, Poets of Rhythm mastermind Jan Weissenfeldt, Franz Ferdinands guitar player Nick Mc Carthy or local (also Fela Kuti loving) Express Brassband who all work here. Occasionally bands visiting Munich stop by, to play a hidden gig or spend a few nights here to avoid depleting hotel costs and maybe – who knows - ending up on Fela Kuti in Dub. Fela Kuti in Dub is Captain Yossarian’s dream come true project: It contains four essential songs by Fela Kuti and treats them in a style of a Jamaican Discomix. Think of a collaboration between Fela Kuti and King Tubby and you are close to what Captain Yossarian had in mind. The four tracks take us on a journey from Afrobeat deep into Dub. Starting out as instrumental covers the tracks evolve into full on dub versions, celebrating the musical heritage of Nigeria and Jamaica likewise. The pattern based repetitive structure of Afrobeat music can be seen as a blueprint for modern production technics such as Tecno or House music and allows Captain Yossarian to re-arrange and dub Felas music live when playing his sets. The four Fela Kuti classics are treated with essential dub effects like echoes, reverb and filtering but also many analogue sound effects underlining and sonically illustrating the missing lyrical content. These vary from thundery spring reverbs and percussion instruments imitating the pouring rain on „Water No Get Enemy“ to marching soldiers and shot gun like reverbs on „Zombie“. From a cash register on „Expensive Shit“ to the dub sirens created live on a Korg MS10 on „Everything Scatter“. Only analogue instruments, sounds and dub effects were used on this recording, no AI was involved. The songs were carefully rerecorded in Munich. The analogue mixing, dubs and arrangements were done live in consecutive sessions at Sausage Studios in London with one of Yossarian´s favorite engineers, the man called Seb-I. In his search for the magic of Fela Kutis sound Captain Yossarian even tracked down some of the original equipment Fela Kuti had worked with. For Fela Kuti in Dub Captain Yossarian ended up asking none else than Sodi Marciszewer at Zarma Studios, Paris (Fela Kuti, Femi Kuti, Seun Kuti, Damian Marley) to do the premaster for him on the original Decca desk used by Fela Kuti in Lagos. The four tracks feature a whole load of musicians from all over the world Captain Yossarian has met along the way. There is a track with sax player Jimi Tenor who has recorded a whole afrobeat album with Tony Allen (Inspiration, Information) or drummer Prince Tempo Police (a hardcore Afrobeat fan) who has toured the world with Highlife legends Ebo Taylor and Pat Thomas and recently Ghana’s Highlife powerhouse Santrofi. Longtime studioneighbour the German guitarist Jan Weissenfeldt known for his pioneering Afrofunkband Poets of Rhythm and his duo work Whitefield Brothers participates on a track and a number of brass players like Niko Schabel from Radio Citizen or Stefan Huber and Sebastian Höglauer known for their work with alternative Bavarian Brassband Kapelle So&So are featured. The latter can also be heard on Captain Yossarian’s Bob in Dub project. And if you ever make it to a show of Captain Yossarian don’t be surprised to see him arriving on his self-constructed battery powered Dub Soundsystem bike blurring out the latest Jamaican dancehall anthems or this unique mix of two of his heroes: Fela Kuti and King Tubby. Fela Kuti In Dub was conceived and produced by Cpt. Yossarian alias Manuel da Coll musician, producer and soundman from Munich/Germany. His last work „Bob Marley In Dub“ (2021, Echobeach) attained critical acclaim and was featured by Don Letts on BBC6, the Riddim Magazine and Helmut Phillips book „DUB - The Sound Of Surprise“ amongst others. Manuel da Coll plays drums with LaBrassBanda (Bavarian Brass), FEH (Trip Hop), Pollyester (Disco) and runs a mobile soundsystem, the Dubtrain.one, displaying his work at live dub sessions. He is the owner of „Studio Katzlbaum“, a studio devoted to dub production in Munich/Germany.