Reinventing global sounds, rewriting the rulebook - winners of the Royal Over-Seas League Competition 2017. Kabantu means"of the people" - stemming from the South African philosophy of Ubuntu - “I am what I am because of who we all are.”A five-piece hailing from Manchester, formed in 2014, Kabantu unravel new marriages of music from around the globe to celebrate the space where different cultures meet.
2018 sees them releasing their debut album "Of the People" produced by the Mercury-nominated Gerry Diver to critical acclaim:"an ambitious global range..all sing as well as they play, switching from scat to powerful harmony" (The Guardian), alongside a UK-wide album launch tour supported by the Hattori and PRS Foundations.
Performance highlights include the BBC Proms at the Royal Albert Hall, live broadcasts for BBC Free Thinking Festival at The Sage Gateshead, BBC Radio 3 In Tune and World on 3, TedX Manchester to a sold-out Bridgewater Hall and major festivals including Celtic Connections, Cambridge Folk Festival, Deal Festival of Music and the Arts, Spitalfields Festival, Fishguard International Music Festival, Swaledale Festival, Lake District Summer Music Festival, Musicport and Greenbelt.
Upcoming performances include collaborations with the BBC Singers, Manchester Camerata, Sinfonia Cymru and the London Chorus, St. Martin’s in the Fields and a tour of Switzerland.
As well as winning the Royal Over-Seas League Ensemble Award, subsequently performing to royalty at the Cadogan Hall, Kabantu are proud to be Live Music Now, Selected Making Music 2016-17 and BBC Introducing Artists.
"Immaculate five-part harmonies...a rousing display of fine musicianship" - **** The Guardian
“Utterly brilliant” - Georgia Mann, BBC Radio 3, Late Night Proms
“When we heard their music, we knew there was something special about them” - Lopa Kothari, BBC Radio 3, World on 3
BAMAKO OVERGROUND
Born in the inspired mind of London’s own Malian rhythm buff Hans Sutton, Bamako Overground have been busy forging a new sound. The trio are irresistibly seduced by the music of West Africa, blending its influences overtly and covertly with their own carefully-selected flavours to settle into mystical dance grooves and desert blues.
Hans plays his distinctive hybrid drum kit which has previously brought Mandé styles to artists such as Nick Mulvey and Cocos Lovers, while at his flanks are the sparkling guitar of Yaaba Funk co-founder Tobias Sturmer and the hypnotic, heavy bass of folk maestro and Woodburner impresario Theo Bard.
Deep and soulful rhythms meet soaring melodies, while smooth three-part vocal harmonies spin allegories in Bamanakan and English to complete a brew that’s compelling and utterly unique.