About Afunja Music ℗

African Funk and Jazz

Afolabi Lipede, also known as Flame, is a multifaceted artist, serving as a music producer, bass guitarist, singer, and songwriter. Together with Mark Christopher, a skilled music director and guitarist, Flame pioneers an innovative musical style characterized by intricate bass harmonics woven into complex chord structures, accompanied by compelling bass riffs. This unique fusion, dubbed AFUNJA (African FUNk and JAzz), transports listeners into a vibrant, culturally rich musical landscape. Experience this captivating sound on tracks like "Free" and "Irony of Peace," available on Afunja SoundCloud and Afunja Studio SoundCloud. Afunja Music Publishing Ltd. is proudly affiliated with ASCAP, Tunecore, Amuse, Songtrust, and PPL.

Our Story

Our journey began with Afolabi Lipede, also known as Flame, pioneering Afunja music. Flame's distinctive bass technique incorporates harmonics to convey intricate chord inversions and voicings alongside captivating bass riffs. What sets this apart is his ability to simultaneously play harmonics and the underlying riff, creating the illusion of two bass players complementing each other, resulting in mesmerizing rhythms for the band. This innovative approach gave birth to Afunja Music, a fusion of African funk and jazz, drawing from a diverse array of cultural influences from the world music spectrum.

In 1988, I was introduced to Flame through mutual acquaintances while pursuing architectural qualifications at the Architectural Association in London. Despite our disparate backgrounds, we connected over our shared passion for music. Encouraged by a friend, Obi, I reached out to Flame and his drummer, Timi Shyllon, and we embarked on jam sessions together. Despite the unconventional setting—a small shed in Highgate—we spent countless hours refining Flame's compositions, fueled by our excitement and determination.

As the sessions became a regular fixture in our schedules, fate intervened when I secured a job at Metropolis Studios in May 1989. This provided us with a professional space to hone our craft, with the studio's tape-ops eager to experiment with sound engineering on our sessions. Serendipitously, I was able to introduce Flame to a producer, Sadia Sadia, and engineer, Steven W Tayler, who recognized his talent and recorded three songs with him, propelling his career forward.

Mark Christopher