A DOUBLE BILL FULL OFF SUDANESE AFRO BEAT EN WEST-AFRICAN MUSIC TRADITION
Under the title African Grooves, we present the convergence of the Mo & Kush Band, a Sudanese act that has previously performed at EKKO and appeared at Le Guess Who?, and Omar Ka & Fula Band, a Rotterdam fusion of African rhythms and energetic funkiness.
Kush Band
In the originally Sudanese music of Kush Band, you can hear the intriguing rhythms of Africa: Arabic reggae, ska, as well as Sahara blues and afrobeat. They play on traditional African bongos, djembé, log drum, calabash, in an exciting combination with more familiar Western instruments like electric guitar, drums, trumpet, and saxophone. Kush Band is a band with a solid groove that gets the audience dancing within minutes. Bandleader Mo Ahmed is a recognized master djembé player in his home country, Sudan, where he led an earlier version of Kush Band. The band has been heard on many stages and festivals, often in Utrecht (De Nijverheid, EKKO, Tivoli/De Helling, Le Guess Who?) and now again at EKKO for African Grooves.
Omar Ka & Fula Band
Senegalese Rotterdammer Omar Ka hails from the Fulani, the nomads of West Africa with a rich musical tradition. His eccentric vocal tone leaves no one untouched, and together with his friends in Fula Band, he brings an irresistible mix of African rhythms with energetic funkiness and colorful jazz influences. The combination of guitar, bass guitar, and drums with traditional West African instruments such as the kamale ngoni (African harp) and the djembé ensures a distinctive sound and a dancing crowd.
