A couple of months ago we spoke to Gilles Peterson and he mentioned in passing that he was particularly excited about the music being unearthed from the Ivory Coast. Well, with the release of Ivory Coast Soul: Afrofunk in Abidjan 1972-1982, we can see why. It's a country that has been perhaps a bit neglected by diggers (and whose present sadly overshadows its past) but now it's time for this West African republic to shine.

In the 1970s the music industry based in Abidjan, the capital of the Ivory Coast, was second only to that of Lagos in Nigeria, with musicians flocking to lay down tracks there from all over the continent. This diversity is reflected in the tracks collected here, tracks that are primarily rooted in funk and afrobeat but reveal influences from all the musicians who assembled together in Abidjan during this time. It's a hell of a lot of fun and if you're down with collections of the ilk of Lagos Disco Inferno, then Ivory Coast Soul is a must.

Props to Dijamel Hammadi for putting it all together in the face of... well... cop the release and read the liner notes for the full story. In the meantime, check out and download the ridiculously catchy Oko Sekai Athanase and stream two others from Ernesto Djedje and Jimmy Hyacinthe below.

Ivory Coast Soul is available now from Hot Casa/Light In The Attic.

[audio:https://www.okayafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/HC-14-A-2-Okoi-seka-master-1.mp3|titles="Melokon Mebun Ou" by Okoi Seka]

DOWNLOAD: Okoi Seka "Melokon Mebun Ou"

[audio:https://www.okayafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/HC-14-C-1-ernesto-djedje-master-1.mp3|titles="Zadie Bobo" by Ernesto Djedje]

Stream: Ernesto Djedje "Zadie Bobo"

[audio:https://www.okayafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/HC-14-B-1-jimmy-hyacinthe-master-2.mp3|titles="Yatchiminou" by Jimmy Hyacinthe]

Stream: Jimmy Hyacinthe "Yatchiminou"