This edition of Africa Incorporated was jam packed with that feel good 80s Soul that still sounds just as good today.

We started with Stevie Wonder’s “All I Do,” followed by Patrice Rushen’s “Remind Me” and René & Angela’s “I’ll Be Good.” Right from the beginning, the show was sitting in that pocket of 80s Soul where the basslines were funky, the melodies were strong and the music simply made you feel good.

Cherrelle brought “I Didn’t Mean to Turn You On,” The Jacksons gave us “Can You Feel It,” and Alicia Myers followed with “I Want to Thank You.” Then Chaka Khan’s “Ain’t Nobody” and Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance with Somebody” kept that energy moving.

For me, though, this show was about much more than putting together a collection of great 80s records.

These were anthems from my childhood.

Hearing Al B. Sure!’s “Nite and Day,” Surface’s “Happy,” or Cherrelle and Alexander O’Neal together on “Saturday Love” brings back more than just the sound of a particular decade. These songs are connected to memories, people, places and growing up during a time when this music was everywhere.

That’s one of the beautiful things about music. A song can disappear from your rotation for years, but when you hear those first few notes again, everything connected to it can come rushing right back.

We closed with Soul II Soul’s “Back to Life,” another record that helped define the end of the decade while pointing toward where Soul and R&B were heading next.

Sometimes you don’t need to rediscover the music. You just need to go back and remember how good it made you feel!

How to Listen

SlowDown Radio
Africa Incorporated
Listen Live: slowdownradio.cz & DAB Radio
Every Monday & Thursday
3PM Prague · 2PM London · 9AM NYC · 8AM Chicago · 6AM LA · 5PM Nairobi
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