Fireside Chat

Antibalas

Daptone, Anti-, Brooklyn, NYC

Antibalas - also known as the Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra, have been pounding out take on the music of Fela Kuti for a good few years now, but theirs is not a retrogressive movement. They have dragged Afrobeat through the streets of Brooklyn and pumped it back in to the stratosphere with touches of Latin, Jazz, Funk, and Dub amongst other influences. Since their debut release in 2000 the eleven-piece have seen growing success across the globe and have received their rites of passage into the world of Afrobeat by playing with Tony Allen, Femi Kuti and Dele Sosimi - all stalwarts of the Fela's Afrika 70 and Egypt 80. In this Fireside Chat, Aaron Johns talks us through the formation and ethos of the band and tells us a little bit about how politics is intrinsic to what they do...