Artist Profiles: Santrofi

Santrofi is a modern highlife band from Accra, Ghana. It was founded by bassist and producer Emmanuel Ofori.

Ofori became a band leader after playing will well-known Ghanaian artists such as Ebo Taylor, Pat Thomas and Kwashibu Area Band.

The Santrofi band includes eight musicians who perform music with roots in vintage Ghanaian highlife music. The influences include 1970s dance-guitar highlife and highlife funk, as well as polyrhythmic beats and tunes from Afrobeat.

Band members include Emmanuel Ofori on bass; Dominic Quarchie on lead electric guitar; Robert ‘Nsoroma’ Koomson on load vocals and rhythm guitar; Bernard Gyamfi on trombone and shekere; Norbert Wonkyi on trumpet, flügelhorn, and bell; Prince Larbi on drums and vocals; Emmanuel Boakye Agyeman on keyboards and vocals; and Victor Nii Amoo on percussion.

Santrofi’s debut album Alewa was released on April 24, 2020. Five years later, Santrofi released Making Moves on February 14, 2025, via Outhere Records. Co-produced and mixed by four-time Grammy Award-winning engineer Jerry Boys, renowned for his work with Buena Vista Social Club and Ali Farka Touré, Making Moves pays homage to Highlife’s heritage while exploring new creative directions. The album fuses the genre’s organic rhythms with funk-infused compositions and introspective, soulful themes. Making Moves topped the World Music Charts Europe in March 2025.

Discography:

Alewa (Out Here Records, 2020)
Making Moves (OutHere Records, 2025)

Author: Angel Romero

Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.