Between 1972 and 1982, BLO carved out a singular space in Nigeria’s music history. Formed in Lagos by Laolu “Akins” Akintobi (drums), Berkely “Ike” Jones (guitar), and Mike “Gbenga” Odumosu (bass), the trio fused Afrobeat rhythms with funk and psychedelic rock, creating a sound that critics have since called “a pioneering fusion in afro-psychedelic funk.”
The group’s roots trace back to the mid-1960s highlife band the Clusters, who also backed Sierra Leonean star Geraldo Pino. In 1970, Akintobi, Jones, and Odumosu formed Afrocollection with the Lijadu Sisters, later joining Ginger Baker’s jazz-rock project Salt. Their international tours with Baker, including stops in Munich and the U.S., helped shape BLO’s direction before they struck out on their own.
Debuting in 1973 with Chapter One on EMI Nigeria, BLO blended Fela Kuti-inspired Afrobeat with Hendrix-style guitar and Funkadelic grooves. Over the next decade, they pushed their sound through labels like Afrodisia and Coconut, moving from psychedelic rock to funk, R&B, and eventually disco, under commercial pressure. Albums like Phase II (1974), Step Three (1975), and Phase IV (1977) cemented their reputation, with Phase IV in particular hailed as a holy grail of Afro-boogie, featuring fan favorites like “Music Make You Happy” and “Number One.”
By the early ’80s, BLO had adapted to the disco wave with albums like Bulky Backside (1979) and Back In Time (1980), without ever losing the tightness that made them unique. They disbanded in 1982, but their influence stretched far beyond Lagos. In 2009, Strut Records reintroduced BLO to a global audience with the retrospective Phases 1972–1982.
Today, BLO is remembered as the first psych-rock band from Africa, innovators who blurred boundaries and laid the groundwork for generations of Nigerian funk and rock musicians. Their legacy remains a hypnotic blend of highlife roots, psychedelic experiments, and hard-hitting funk grooves.