Santrofi – Making Moves (Outhere Records, 2025)
Some albums arrive like old friends returning home, carrying new stories yet familiar scents of the past. Making Moves, the much-anticipated second album from Ghana’s Santrofi, feels precisely like that. Almost five years after their vigorous debut Alewa sent shockwaves through global folk and world music circles, this Accra-based eight-piece ensemble reminds us not only where Highlife comes from, but just how far it can still go.
From the very first notes of “Amina,” it’s clear that Santrofi has not lost an ounce of their fire. Yet, there’s a new layer here, a deeper seasoning that can only come from years of travel, from absorbing new sounds while remaining firmly anchored in tradition. Co-produced and mixed by none other than Jerry Boys, the legendary producer behind Buena Vista Social Club and Ali Farka Touré, Making Moves radiates both polish and heart, as if each track were polished river stones worn smooth by time and tide.
Growing up, I remember hearing my Dad’s Highlife records spinning at home and on cassette, the melodies snaking through the air like tendrils of sunlight. Listening to Making Moves, that memory comes rushing back, only now, it’s woven with a broader musical palette.
Tracks like the irresistible “Gyae Me How” flirt with boogie and funk, their rhythms snapping with an electricity that hints at James Brown’s influence, while “Making Moves” (the title track) offers a brilliant fusion with contemporary Afrobeats, featuring joyful collaborations with AratheJay and Kofi Jamar. It’s a striking reminder that while the roots run deep, the branches are reaching for new skies.
Instrumentally, Santrofi’s prowess is nothing short of breathtaking. Emmanuel Kwadwo Ofori’s bass lines lay a muscular yet supple foundation, over which dancing guitar riffs, bright brass choruses, and intricate percussion build and breathe. The traditional seperewa (a Ghanaian harp-lute) occasionally peeks through the mix, a nod to even older folk traditions, while the horns shimmer in a way that evokes the Cuban son or even the New Orleans brass band tradition. Meanwhile, the group’s vocals, rich, communal, and fervent, paint emotional landscapes that speak of love, resilience, and the constant churn of city life.
Moreover, Santrofi’s ability to capture a sense of place is extraordinary. Each song feels like a walk through Accra’s bustling Makola Market, a bus ride down a dusty highway, or a sunset dance on a sandy courtyard. When they recorded Deep into Highlife (Live in Berlin), they proved they could take that essence anywhere and make it feel immediate. Here, however, on Making Moves, the band sounds even more rooted, grounded in Ghanaian soil, yet breathing a global air.
Historically, Highlife was itself a genre born of fusion, a meeting of African rhythms with colonial brass bands and Afro-Cuban melodies. In this sense, Santrofi isn’t merely innovating; they’re honoring the genre’s original spirit of hybrid vigor. In doing so, they stand shoulder to shoulder with icons like Ebo Taylor and AB Crentsil, while simultaneously carving new pathways for the genre’s future.
Yet what lingers most after the final track fades is the feeling, the warmth. Making Moves invites listeners to dance, to reflect, to dream, and above all, to move forward with hope. Much like Highlife itself, Santrofi’s music reminds us that tradition is not a relic to be preserved under glass, but a living, breathing force, one that grows, adapts, and yes, makes moves.
Buy Making Moves.
Author: Madison Quinn
