40 Years of the Incredible Bongo Band

There are albums that are important because they were successful, and then there are albums that became important almost by accident. 40 Years of the Incredible Bongo Band is a perfect reminder of just how enormous the legacy of Michael Viner’s Incredible Bongo Band became. And, of course, everything eventually leads to “Apache.” Originally written by Jerry Lordan and famously recorded by The Shadows, “Apache” was transformed by the Incredible Bongo Band into something completely different: a furious, percussion-heavy instrumental built around one of the most influential drum breaks in popular music. What followed is extraordinary. The track became one of the most sampled recordings in history and, more importantly, one of the fundamental building blocks of hip-hop. In the Bronx during the 1970s, DJs such as Kool Herc discovered that the percussion break in “Apache” was perfect for extending with two turntables, keeping dancers moving while MCs performed over it. That break became so central to early hip-hop culture that “Apache” has often been described as hip-hop’s national anthem. Its DNA can be heard across decades of rap, breakbeat, electronic music and pop. But reducing the Incredible Bongo Band to one legendary break would be unfair. This collection shows just how strange and exciting the project was: cinematic arrangements, funk, rock, soul, huge percussion and an almost reckless amount of energy. It sounds like musicians having enormous fun without realising that future generations would be dissecting every few seconds of their recordings. That is perhaps what makes this album so fascinating. You are not simply listening to old instrumental funk. You are listening to part of the genetic code of modern music. Essential listening for anyone remotely interested in hip-hop, sampling or music history. Absolutely unmissable. Theres a documentary about it, a great one