Daily Jam - Apache

It’s one of those things that sounds like a total joke at first. Or, maybe it was honestly done, a silly, yet earnest and sincere piece or art that just seems ridiculous in hindsight, now that years have lapsed by and hearts and souls have grown jaded. Oh, maybe it falls into some kind of pit of irony, sustenance for the hordes of snark-fueled cretins.

No. Fuck that. Maybe it’s just awesome and fun, and no amount of silliness or irony or snark can ever take that away. A staple at weddings, anniversary parties, and bar mitzvahs alike; a funky, groove-laden, dance-until-dawn jam for the ages, sampled by umpteen artists and deejays over the last five decades…ladies and gentlemen, I give you “Apache” by The Incredible Bongo Band.

Birthed as a studio project of Michael Viner in 1972, The Incredible Bongo Band featured an array of musicians and studio players crafting bongo-centric covers of a number of popular songs, culminating in the 1973 release of Bongo Rock, a novelty record of sorts that could have slipped away into obscurity if not for the sampling salvation provided by a slew of original rap and hip-hop progenitors keeping it alive in our hearts and asses in their slick break beats.

Need a little fuel for your dance party? Cue up “Apache.” Need to get your body moving? Cue up “Apache.” Looking to put a little smile on your face? Cue up “Apache.” It’s a surefire, certified cure for the blues. Look it up.

Now dig on that beat.