Makopiano

AFRIQUOI
‘KOLABA’
DEBUT ALBUM RELEASED 11TH SEPTEMBER ON WORMFOOD RECORDS
Available in CD + digital formats
We’ve come a long way since the Drummers of Burundi’s now famous appearance at the inaugural WOMAD Festival in 1982. Today a new era for ‘world music’ is emerging, both in the UK and globally. The internet and permeation of mobile technology mean ideas and musical styles are shared globally at a rate faster than ever, with hiphop scenes in Senegal, house music scenes in South Africa, Kuduro in Portugal and futuristic African music across the UK.

In London, African music has become increasingly popular. No longer deemed “exotic”, it is simply part of the musical make-up of 21st century Britain. This is the starting point for Afriquoi - a new generation of musical producers and consumers who have grown up with African music alongside house, garage, drum and bass, grime, hiphop, reggae and jazz. 

Afriquoi’s debut album ‘Kolaba’, released 11th September on Wormfood Records, is a deep project with real roots. Rather than a one-off collaboration between musicians with no musical or personal connection, ‘Kolaba’ is 
the product of four years intense work with the same group of people, deepening their knowledge of each other’s musical, cultural and personal histories. This gives the Afriquoi sound a particular richness and uniqueness.

Bringing in elements of Congolese soukous and rumba, Mandinka griot music, Shona mbira and marimba, Jamaican dancehall, house, garage, disco and drum and bass, ‘Kolaba’ embraces styles from across the African diaspora but with its roots firmly planted in London where the band live. As guitarist Fiston ‘Papa’ Lusambo says, “This is a new music. If you miss it, you miss life”.

Afriquoi came to be in 2011 when promoter and percussionist André Marmot arranged separate production collaboration sessions between producer Nico Bentley, guitarist Fiston Lusambo, kora player Jally Kebba Suso and marimba player Kudaushe Matimba.

Having run ‘Rootmaster’, the world music sessions at Hootananny Brixton since 2009, André mixed with a huge number of London’s African musicians and groups, and so was in a unique position to arrange collaborations with fellow musicians. There was no set outcome planned beyond inviting a range of musicians he admired to collaborate with a producer he trusted, and seeing what happened. 

Further collaborations took place over the next few years with Jamaican/Birmingham vocalist Serocee, deep house/ disco vocalist and singer Andre Espeut, Algerian mandol player Seddik Zebiri, dancehall singer Warrior Queen, and grime MC Badness, as well as sessions with Swedish/Botswanan mbira player Otto Gumaelius, Gambian percussionist Musa Mboob, Senegalese singer Batch Gueye and guimbri player Nuru Kane. 

Although not all these artists made it onto the album it was an important formative experience for the band’s sound and after playing shows with a variety of personnel, the band cohered in Summer 2013 with the live lineup of Jally Kebba Suso (kora), Fiston Lusambo (guitar), André Espeut (vocals), Nico Bentley (live electronics) and André Marmot (percussion). 

Having performed at a hugely diverse range of festivals and venues including Glastonbury, The London Olympics 2012, Bestival, Secret Garden Party, Fusion Festival and many more, Afriquoi are set for more shows this summer with the ‘Kolaba’ album launch at the Queen Elizabeth Hall, South Bank Centre, 11th September.

2015 live shows:

JULY
4th	SCOTLAND		Kelburn Garden Party
5th	LEEDS			Hi-Fi
17th	LONDON 		Lovebox Festival
18th	LANCASHIRE		Beat Herder Festival
25th	CAMBRIDGESHIRE	Secret Garden Party
AUGUST
1st	HOLLAND		Ruigoord Festival 
15th	GERMANY		3000grad Festival
29th	NORTHAMPTONSHIRE	Shambala Festival (DJ set)
30th	ITALY			Kribiskrabis Festival
31st	CROATIA		Dimensions Festival
SEPTEMBER
3rd	CROATIA		Outlook Festival, Croatia
11th	LONDON		Queen Elizabeth Hall, South Bank Centre


Panemadzimai (ft Kudaushe Matimba)

Dieu Est Nègre

All My Juice (feat. Blac)

Your Love

Shut Doors Shut Love

For Cubans, El Tipo Este is the pioneer of all things hip-hop. As founding member of Obsessión, one of the nation’s most notable hip hop exports. Early champions of his music included Gilles Peterson, who selected a track to include in his ‘Havana Cultura; New Cuba Sounds compilation. Hot off the heels of this, El Tipo Este was enlisted to assemble the full band of musicians for the Havana Cultura tour. This unit played stages across Europe, USA and closer to home in Latin America, and in turn this led to collaborations with The Roots, and Mos Def

For this forthcoming long player, which will be released on brand new imprint ‘Pura Vida Sounds’ set up by Guts. El Tipo Este he has enlisted beat maker France’s Al Quetz to carry his rhymes. Originally known as Quetzal, Al Quetz is a crucial figure in the world of beatmaking. A sound scientist whose cut, loop, program, paste compositions has seen him collaborate with the likes of Onra, Guts, La Fine Equipe and Milk Coffee & Sugar. 

This canny combo of French beat maker and cuban MC have drawn from the local musical currents, absorbing Afro-Cuban sounds, adding the freedom of jazz, the metronome of hip hop and a healthy bass shake of neighbouring island Jamaica.

La Revancha de la Manana

Sin Protocolo

Africa

Here's a relaxing song to add to your playlist from the Scuba Diver featuring eeSKay.
Enjoy "FIRE & ICE"

/ir/REGULAR

FIRE & ICE

Fire & Ice (feat. eeSKay) (Prod. BridgeBeats)

Mokoomba is an award winning band from Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe.

Africa

mokoomba

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