Afrobeat is a Nigerian music genre that involves the combination of West African musical styles from mainly Nigeria such as the traditional Yoruba and Igbo music and highlife with American funk, jazz, and soul influences. With a focus on chanted vocals, complex intersecting rhythms, and percussion. The style was pioneered in the 1960s by Nigerian multi-instrumentalist and bandleader Fela Kuti, who is most known for popularizing the style both within and outside Nigeria. At the height of his popularity, he was referred to as one of Africa's most "challenging and charismatic music performers."
The mangue bit or manguebeat movement is a cultural movement created circa 1991 in the city of Recife in Northeast Brazil in reaction to the cultural and economic stagnation of the city. The movement largely focuses on music, but it has its own fashion and slang, and encompasses aspects of visual art. It mixes regional rhythms of Brazilian Northeast, such as maracatu, frevo, coco and forró, with rock, soul, raggamuffin, hip hop, funk and electronic music.
Thievery Corporation is an American electronic music duo consisting of Rob Garza and Eric Hilton. Their musical style mixes elements of dub, acid jazz, reggae, Indian classical, Middle Eastern music, hip hop and Brazilian music, including bossa nova.
Susana Esther Baca de la Colina is a prominent Peruvian singer-songwriter, school teacher, folklorist, ethnomusicologist and three-time Latin Grammy Award winner. She has been a key figure in the revival of Afro-Peruvian music.
Justin Boland, also known as J Boogie is a DJ, music producer, radio host, music director and music curator from San Francisco with over 25 years of experience in the music industry.
Los Rabanes is a Latin Grammy winning ska rock fusion band from Chitré, Herrera, Panama. With a career spanning two decades and eight albums, they are considered pioneers in the region, and are the first band from Central America to win a Latin Grammy in the Best Rock Album Category.
Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars is a band from Sierra Leone which was formed by a group of refugees displaced to Guinea during the Sierra Leone Civil War. Since their return to Freetown in 2004, the band has toured extensively to raise awareness for humanitarian causes. Their story is documented in the 2005 documentary film Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars.
Zion Train are a British dub ensemble that formed in Oxford, 1988. They have consistently released music and toured from 1992 to present day. Their mix of reggae and dance music was a notable innovation in the early 1990s.
Jaime Cuadra is a Peruvian music producer, marketing specialist, singer, and composer. He produced three songs heard in the James Bond movie Quantum of Solace, and is currently Peruvian Cultural Ambassador.
Kokolo, also known as the Kokolo Afrobeat Orchestra, is an American Afrobeat band from the Lower East Side of New York City, formed in 2001 by songwriter/producer Ray Lugo.
Victor Axelrod is an American musician, producer, and audio engineer from Brooklyn, New York. Since the mid-1990s, he has worked primarily in the genres of reggae, Afrobeat and soul, recording and producing under his own name and using the alias Ticklah.
Luísa Maita is a Brazilian singer-songwriter known for her mix of traditional Brazilian samba, bossa nova, and MPB along with modern electronic sounds. Her debut album was released in the US and Europe on the label Cumbancha and in Brazil by Oi Música in May 2010.
Musa(English: Muse) is the eighth studio album by Puerto Rican reggaetón singer-songwriter Ivy Queen. It was released through Siente Music on August 21, 2012 in all formats. The tracks on the album were composed by Queen and various other songwriters, including: Victor Delgado, Hiram Cruz and Francisco Saldaña. The album was produced by Luny Tunes, Noriega, Predikador, and DJ Nelson among others. The album features a variety of musical styles prominent on her previous albums Sentimiento (2007) and Drama Queen (2010).
Bareto is a music group from Peru, famous for making their own versions of classic Peruvian cumbia songs.
Coba Coba is the third album from the Peruvian band, Novalima. The 2009 release, off U.S.-based, independent label, Cumbancha further explores Afro-Peruvian music's African roots. The band implores the use of various genres, reggae, dub, salsa, afro-beat, to create their sound. Coba Coba stays true to its traditional roots while simultaneously pushing the boundaries; "Most people still think Peru is only panpipes," says guitarist/keyboardist Rafael Morales. "This is our interpretation of traditional Afro-Peruvian music, forward-thinking but without losing the soul and tribal rhythms of its roots." The sound is cutting edge but traces its roots back to the times of Spanish Colonial rule and slavery.
Coba Coba Remixed is the first remix album of Novalima's original album, Coba Coba, both under the U.S. independent record label, Cumbancha. It was released on June 16, 2009, and features electronic-influenced remixes of songs from Coba Coba.
Soothsayers are a London-based band who performs and records original Afrobeat and reggae-influenced music. Formed in 1998 by saxophonist Idris Rahman and trumpeter Robin Hopcraft, they have released five studio albums and a number of vinyl singles on their own label Red Earth Records.
Rocky Dawuni is a Ghanaian singer, a three-time Grammy-nominee, songwriter and record producer who performs his signature 'Afro Roots' sound which is a mixture of Reggae, Afrobeats, Highlife and Soul music. He currently lives between Ghana and Los Angeles. Rocky is a three-time Grammy nominated musician and activist.
Ray Joseph Lugo is an American musician. Singing in English and Spanish, Lugo is internationally known for his prolific output and diverse solo work, as well as for leading the groups Kokolo Afrobeat Orchestra, Ray Lugo & The Boogaloo Destroyers and other projects.
En Vivo Desde El Lunario is a live album by Peruvian singer-songwriter Gian Marco released by Caracola Records in 2009. It was the first live album of his career.
