“They thought I moved highlife music out of the ordinary. Then, it was believed that my Highlife was a little bit out of this world, beyond explanation. This was why Alhaji Alade Odunewu of the Daily Times styled me the Evil Genius of Highlife.”
Dr. Victor Olaiya Dr. Victor Abimbola Olaiya is still sockin’ it to them after 60 years on stage. If you’re lucky you can catch him blowing that trumpet and singing his heart out at his own celebrated ‘Stadium Hotel’ in Lagos, Nigeria. Victor Olaiya is certainly one of the legendary foundation stones of modern Nigerian music, yet he has never received much acknowlegement or really had his albums released or promoted in any quantity outside of Nigeria. So this Vampisoul release is a step in the right direction and not before time, for a 77 years old who was probably Nigeria’s leading Highlife star of Highlife’s golden years, the 50’s and early 60’s. This album from 1970 is from Olaiya’s Highlife / Funk phase, but its worth taking a trawl through his back pages to see how he became the Evil Genius, before you roll back the rug and get down with the Highlife-Funk. Liner notes by Max Reindhart