A rare London show for UK afro electronic pioneers Afriquoi, with support from rising Tanzanian stars the Zawose Queens
AFRIQUOI
Live African dance music, fusing Congolese guitar + Gambian kora virtuosity with UK electronic sensibilities to create uplifting, dancefloor- friendly new music for a new generation of music fans.
Afriquoi are an underground sensation, bringing an uplifting fusion of African music and live electronics. The masterful 5-piece live show combines Gambian kora, Congolese guitar + Mandinka percussion styles with electronic music drawing on house, garage, disco, soul + jungle to create something entirely unique.
Based in London, Afriquoi is a UK afro supergroup, with every musician a band leader in their own right. With members ranging in age across 3 decades, originating from Africa, the Carribean and the UK, Afriquoi is true fusion music in the best sense of the word, bringing together a vast depth of musical knowledge, culture and life experience.
Formed in 2011 out of London’s cultural melting pot, they have established a cult gobal fanbase, loved by fans both of African and electronic music. Their afro house classic ‘Kudaushe’ has become an established favourite in clubs all over the world, and they have toured all over Europe, with huge crowds singing along to their songs on major stages at Glastonbury, WOMAD, Dimensions, Fusion, Boomtown, Shambala, Bestival, Secret Garden Party and the London 2012 Olympics.
The debut album ‘Kolaba’ was released on 11th September 2015 on Wormfood Records, followed up by ‘Abobo Nation Part 1‘ in May 2016 and ‘Starship/Can I Know You‘ (featuring acclaimed jazz saxophonist Shabaka Hutchings and Ghanaian drumming troupe Kakatsitsi) in May 2017. 2nd EP ‘Time is A Gift Which We Share All the Time’ dropped in 2020 on French label Mawimbi, with new EP ‘Leave Your Vanity’ coming out in early 2023, including remixes by Zed Bias, Shy One, WheelUP and others.
THE ZAWOSE QUEENS
There is spirit and fire in the music of The Zawose Queens. There’s the vibrations of the ancestors, coming through on traditional instruments — soaring chizeze fiddle, buzzing illimba thumb piano, ngoma drums that chatter and thunder — and voices that go deep, high and out there. There’s the connection to nature, to ceremony and ritual, in their dance-inspired fusion, their blend of the organic, harmonic and modern-day electronic. There are lyrics that tell, in their native kigogo, of the passion for music, the wonders of life. Of pride in environment, in tradition. In their East African roots.
Pendo and Leah Zawose showcase the fluid polyrhythms and rapturous polyphonic singing of the Gogo (aka Wagogo) people of the arid, hilly Dodoma region of central Tanzania.
The most famous exponent of this musical tradition is the late, great Dr Hukwe Zawose (Pendo’s father and Leah’s grandfather).
Maisha, the debut album by The Zawose Queens, marks the first time that women from this famous musical family take their place as lead vocalists and performers. Emboldened by workshops in songwriting and music production with visiting UK-based producers Oli Barton-Wood (Jordan Rakei, Obongjayar, Nilufer Yanya) and Tom Excell (Nubiyan Twist, Onipa), The Zawose Queens began writing their first ever songs. The resulting collection of songs range from the stripped back and traditional-sounding to those treated with subtle electronic elements, with beats and drops and found sounds and switch-ups.