Gaspar Lawal - Ajomasé

Ajomasé is the groundbreaking debut album by legendary Nigerian percussionist Gasper Lawal. Originally released in 1980 on his own label CAP, Strut are proud to now bring this unique album back to the racks. Lawal’s style was forged through decades of high-level percussion work with the likes of Stephen Stills, Barbra Streisand, George Clinton & Funkadelic, Manfred Mann, Alexis Korner, Vangelis and Ginger Baker’s Air Force band. Dissatisfied with existing genre labels and production norms, Lawal began recording his own album in 1976 at Vangelis’ own studio in London’s Marble Arch before switching to long, drawn-out night shifts at Surrey Sound Studios, using downtime between The Police’s sessions for Outlandos D’Amour. 

Lawal meticulously self-produced, composed, and overdubbed the album over four years, assembling an elite group of musicians from both Nigeria and the UK. The instruments used were often hand-built, including a powerful one-of-a-kind drum carved deep in the Nigerian bush. “This music is not about trends, about what is commercial or a “sound” of a particular moment,” explains Lawal, “it is about music to be felt, that gives pleasure. It is nurturing and meditative." Although record executives didn’t know how to categorise Ajomasé, the people responded. 

Legendary DJs like John Peel and Janice Long gave it UK radio play – a rarity for African records at the time. Demand skyrocketed and, with Rough Trade stepping in to distribute the vinyl, the album found an international audience. In 1982, Peter Gabriel personally invited Gasper to perform at the first WOMAD Festival, leading to a new era of live performances and global recognition. Yet despite its impact, Ajomasé has never been reissued – until now. This new edition brings a spiritually resonant, rhythmically rich and genre-defying work to a new generation of listeners. featuring liner notes by Gasper himself and audio remastered from original tapes by Whitfield Street Studios and The Carvery.