Formed in London in 1971, from a varied collection of Caribbean musicians, Cymande have blazed a funk-drenched trail and spread their message of peace and togetherness ever since. After a number of years in which their members devoted their energy to other projects, the band are back on the road,...
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For over 40 years, Orchestre Poly Rythmo de Cotonou have been producing their own indomitable brand of voodoo-infused Afro-beat, heavily tinged with highlife and soukous accents. Having disbanded sometime in the mid-eighties, like many other long lost doyens of tribal African dance music, they were rediscovered in the early part...
If you’ve never had the joy of attending a Cymande concert, this mix allows you some of the access, as live portions are interspersed with classic recordings. Cymande, with their unique blend of reggae rhythms and funk syncopation, have always had a message. Cymande, with their unique blend of reggae...
These legends of the African music scene have now been touring extensively since their formation 15 years ago, spreading their socio-political message through a heady blend of roots reggae, fused with funky soukous. Having escaped their war-torn country, fleeing to neighbouring Guinea, Sierra Leone Refugee All-Stars have gone from strength...
In the convivial and cosy confines of Battersea’s Magic Garden pub, reggae legend Dawn Penn made an unassuming entrance, in hat and coat and carrying a large handbag she took to the stage, as her band warmed up before a modest crowd. She began to sing. Her tone was pure...
Anybody who has ever felt the joy of being immersed in a live rocksteady reggae gig is urged to get themselves down to the wonderfully eclectic Magic Garden Pub, in Battersea, on February 17th. Often described as a “festival in a pub”, The Magic Garden seems like an excellent choice...
Packed to the rafters with people vying for any sort of view, Koko played host to the French-Cuban duo Ibeyi for this eagerly anticipated North London gig. Twins Lisa-Kaindé Diaz and Naomi Diaz performed songs from their eponymous album, released earlier this year. Ibeyi is a beautifully crafted record but...
Just a few weeks ahead of his 73rd birthday, the King Of Latin Soul, Joe Bataan, played a packed out Ronnie Scott’s, treating the patrons to a large portion of his back catalogue, ably supported by one of the UK’s leading funk and soul outfits, Push. From the highly funky...
Playing their very own brand of Gypsy, Balkan Funk, Chavo, are back with a bang and a brand new record. Don’t Wake The Dead is out now on Batov Records and we caught up with the band at their recent album launch at Passing Clouds to talk about where they’ve...
In support of their debut album, Abyssinia Afterlife, Black Flower ambled on to the stage at a sparsely populated Rich Mix last Saturday and proceeded to transport us to a magical land. As the title of this record suggests, it is an imagined journey through a dream-like garden of the...
