“We’re delighted to announce that Yellowman is back by popular demand after his successful 2011 UK tour organized by Africa Oyé,” said festival director Paul Duhaney. ‘With a career spanning over 30 years, few Jamaican artists can claim to have had such an impact worldwide as this legendary deejay and MC. Massively influential in both reggae and hip-hop, Yellowman’s back catalog, list of collaborations and producers speaks for itself as he continues to tour worldwide with the now legendary Sagittarius Band. Yet to play the main stage at Africa Oyé, ‘King Yellow’ is sure to tear it up with tune after tune of classics.”
Starting out as a series of small gigs in Liverpool’s city centre in 1992, Africa Oyé has gone from strength-to-strength, and has evolved into the foremost celebration of African and Caribbean music and culture in the UK.
Over the past 20 years Africa Oyé has brought some of the biggest names in music from Africa, the Caribbean and South America to Liverpool, including Tinariwen, Peter Tosh, Femi Kuti, and of course, last year’s headliner, ‘Queen of Reggae’ Marcia Griffiths.
Africa Oyé will remain a free and unfenced event. The festival has always maintained that they are committed to keeping Africa Oyé open to all. Thanks to all their supporters, sponsors, and the generous donations received at last year’s festival, they have managed to do so once again.
Artists at Oyé 2012
Yellowman and the Sagittarius band (Jamaica)
Yellowman is back by popular demand after his successful 2011 UK tour organized by Africa Oyé. With a career spanning over 30 years, few Jamaican artists can claim to have had such an impact worldwide as this legendary deejay and MC. Massively influential in both reggae and hip-hop, Yellowman’s back catalog, list of collaborations and producers speaks for itself as he continues to tour worldwide with the now legendary Sagittarius Band. Yet to play the main stage at Africa Oyé, ‘King Yellow’ is sure to tear it up with tune after tune of classics.
Samba Mapangala & Orchestra Virunga (Democratic Republic of Congo)
Samba Mapangala was born in Matadi in what is now the Democratic Republic of Congo. He spent the early 70s with various bands in Kinshasa, before moving to Uganda in 1975 where he and some other Congolese musicians formed the Les Kinois band. They moved to Nairobi in 1977. He formed a new band, the Orchestra Virunga, in 1981. The band is named after Virunga volcano located in Congo.
Orchestra Virunga released their first album, It’s Disco Time with Samba Mapangala in 1982. In early 90s the group gained some international popularity through album releases like “Virunga Volcano” and “Feet on Fire.”
He has continued to record, and is still one of the leading musicians in East Africa. He is now based in the United States.
Dele Sosimi Afrobeat Orchestra (Nigeria/UK)
Dele began his career when he joined Fela Kuti’s Egypt 80. He then created the Positive Force band with Femi Kuti, with whom he performed from 1986 to 1994. In both bands he was keyboard player, also musical director taking care of re-orchestrating and arranging music as well as handling the recruiting and training of new musicians. Based on Afrobeat, Dele’s music is a blend of complex funk grooves, Nigerian traditional music (including hi-life), African percussion, underpinning the jazz horns and solos from other instruments, as well as rhythmical singing. With a 15 strong lineup featuring a brass section and some amazing dancers, this is one live show not to be missed!
The Endless Journey (Niger)
Tuareg singer, guitarist and songwriter Alhousseini Anivolla and Wodaabe singer Bammo Agonla have toured Europe, Canada, America and Australia with the internationally acclaimed group Etran Finatawa. Mamane Barka is a charismatic musician and ethnomusicologist who is widely known in Niger as a virtuoso ugurumi player. Internationally, he is best known as the last master of the Biram, a sacred instrument of the Boudouma people that he learned in order to save it from obscurity. Oumarou Adamou, the son of a Hausa Griot, is a famed percussionist and lifelong friend of Barka. Together, their swirling strings, driving rhythms and haunting vocals evoke the vast open spaces of the desert and the very soul of nomadic life.
Yaaba Funk (Ghana/UK)
The band was born in Brixton in 2006. The core members of Yaaba Funk met on the south London African scene in the late 1990s when, as well as studying African music, many wild nights were spent jamming together at house parties, drumming, dancing and djing ’til dawn. The name Yaaba Funk comes from an album called Yaba Funk Roots, the only album ever released outside of Africa by Captain Yaba, a musician from northern Ghana and exponent of the 2-string ‘guitar’ called the koliko.
The band has gigged extensively around London and the UK, building up a loyal fan base with their exuberant live shows, and have also performed in Europe and Africa. A floor-filling extravaganza combining the tightest rhythm section this side of Accra, fat analogue bass lines, blazing horns, sparkling African and gritty rock guitars. YF are considered to be one of the best live acts on the circuit.
More at http://africaoye.com
Author: World Music Central News Room
World music news from the editors at World Music Central
