Nkono Teles - Afromusic Party (2026)

In 1981, a young man named Nkono Teles from Cameroon moved to Lagos, Nigeria and immediately began to make his mark on the dynamic music scene of West Africa’s largest city. The Nigerian music industry in the 1970s had been dominated by foreign major labels, but with new technology becoming easier to acquire, smaller labels and studios were springing up all over the region. Nowhere was this more concentrated than in Lagos. Nkono Teles went from being completely unknown to being one of the most in-demand keyboard players and visionary producers in little under a year. He almost single-handedly introduced the drum-machine to Nigeria, and with his mastery of the Roland TR-808 synthesizer he revolutionised the careers of multiple artists, adding a brand-new, electronic sound to their records. With production credits ranging from Steve Monite to Dizzy K. Fakola, Charly Boy and Majek Fashek, and multiple keyboard credits ranging from Sonny Okosuns to Tunji Oyelana and Harry Mosco, Nkono soon became a name that no-one could pretend they didn’t know. He soon took his place amongst names like Jake Sollo, Lemmy Jackson, William Onyeabor and Tony Essien as one of the scene’s most forward thinking producers and musicians. Here we select six of his best solo instrumental cuts recorded in the mid 1980s.