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London Afrobeat Collective
8 musicians. One goal. To increase the positive energy in the world by making people dance!
London Afrobeat Collective are a tight-knit family of musicians from around the world, living in London and united by a love of afrobeat and a desire to take original music to new places.
From Europe to Africa, Glastonbury Festival to Felabration in Lagos, they deliver party-music born of their truly global DNA. The 8-strong collective from England, Italy, France, Congo, Argentina and New Zealand combine traditional afrobeat with funk, jazz, rock, Latin and dub to create something unique.
In the early days, the band received a major boost when their 2010 debut album L.A.C. propelled them through the Glastonbury Emerging Talent contest to opening the West Holts stage in 2011. A host of festival dates followed (Bestival, Secret Garden Party, Green Man, Cheltenham Jazz Festival) and by 2015, when they released their second album Food Chain, they began to tour in continental Europe, whilst continuing to appear at UK festivals, and maintaining a regular presence at London venues.
The band combines a love and respect for the traditions of afrobeat with a willingness to create original music that crosses genres. They were honoured to be invited to play at Felabration at the Shrine in Lagos as part of their Nigerian tour and have collaborated live and in the studio with afrobeat greats Dele Sosimi and Tony Allen.
Performing in English, Spanish, Lingala, Yoruba and French and mixing traditional afrobeat with funk, jazz, rock, Latin and dub influences, London Afrobeat Collective developed an original sound that helps them to connect with diverse audiences.
Topesa Esengo Na Motema (Let Us Give Joy To The Heart) is the lead single from the forthcoming album Esengo (Canopy Records - release date 14 Feb 2024), which means Joy in Lingala. Produced by Sonny Johns (Tony Allen and Hugh Masekela, Oumou Sangare, Ali Farke Toure, Polar Bear) the track finds the band in a lighter mood, celebrating the joy of living, reconnecting, and getting back on the road once more. The single is accompanied by a remix from producer and DJ Bosq (https://www.bosqmusic.com/) that gives the song a unique Afro-Latin disco twist.
And with recent knock-out performances stretching from opening the Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival (Scotland) to Bardentreffen (Germany), Tempo Latino (France), Couleur Café (Brussels), Cully Jazz (Switzerland), Earth Garden (Malta), Kala (Albania), Jazz in the Park (Romania) and many more venues across Europe, the future is joyful for London Afrobeat Collective.
London Afrobeat Collective are…
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London Afrobeat Collective: Esengo
by Chris May
Back in the day, when Fela Kuti invented Afrobeat--and yes, unlike practically every other music to emerge in the 20th century, Afrobeat was indeed the creation of one person--the music served two functions: to champion the rights and aspirations of post-colonial Black Africans, particularly those at the bottom of the pyramid, and to provide a soundtrack enabling any and everyone to have a good time. It is now 27 years since Kuti passed and any Afrobeat worthy ...
read moreLondon Afrobeat Collective: Humans
by Bruce Lindsay
Hard-driving, politically-charged, rhythmic, irresistibly-danceable music; what else could be expected from a band that mixes influences from Fela Kuti, Parliament/Funkadelic, Frank Zappa, and Nile Rogers and Bernard Edwards into one exciting and uplifting musical pot? Such expectations are high, but the London Afrobeat Collective meets them with ease. There have been a few personnel changes since Food Chain (Self Produced, 2015). Percussionist Zak Cohen has left without being replaced, Giuliano Osella is now on drums and, most noticeably, ...
read moreLondon Afrobeat Collective: Food Chain
by Bruce Lindsay
It's based in London, it's a collective and it plays afrobeat, a strongly rhythmic musical style associated particularly with Fela Kuti. That's the basic info. Much more importantly Food Chain, the London Afrobeat Collective's second album (there are a couple of EPs too), is a bit of a monster--full of dancefloor-filling beats, allied to politically-aware lyrics, delivered by a 10-piece group that's bursting with energy. This mix of politicised lyrics and dance party music recalls UK bands of ...
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Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson
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London Afrobeat Collective
Location: London
Instrument: Band / ensemble / orchestra
