Yaaba Funk

"Heavy Afro grooves with crisp, tight drumming, intricate cross rhythms, wah wah guitar, punchy horns and very effective vocal chants were the order of the day This was a well honed performance from this Hi Life Afro beat funk band entrenched in the thick of it and implacable Brixton has another top flight band added to it’s rostrum. Go see this band live! I guarantee you’ll find it hard to keep your feet still!"
Emrys Baird. Blues and Soul magazine.
“Yaaba Funk are a Hi-Life/Afro-Funk explosion.
A product of Brixton and influenced by 1970’S Ghanaian hi-life, funky sounds of
James Brown and UK sounds like Roots Manuva and The Specials.
A floor-filling extravaganza combining the tightest rhythm section this side of Accra,
fat analogue basslines, blazing horns, sparkling African and gritty rock guitars.”
Barbican blurb for “Still Black, Still Proud”, an African Tribute to James Brown. 2008.
The core members of Yaaba Funk met on the London African drum and dance scene in the 1990s where together they learned from master musicians from Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal, Burkina Faso, Brazil and South Africa.
Many nights were spent jamming together at house parties where
African drummers and dancers would mix and blend with the djs
flinging tunes from anywhere and everywhere.



The name Yaaba Funk comes from an album called Yaba Funk Roots,
the only album ever released outside of Africa by Captain Yaba, a musician
from northern Ghana and exponent of the 2-string ‘guitar’ called the koliko.
Though sadly no longer with us, Captain Yaba influenced the band’s
Ghanaian lead vocalist and founder member, Richmond Kessie,
with his mix of Ghanaian roots music and modern funk grooves.



Band members Chief Commander Yaaba, Mr Brett and the Outlaw Clive Wales also DJ at their own nights and as guests at other Afro inspired nights around London - spinning Afrobeat, Mbalax, Cuban rumba, Brazilian grooves, broken beat,70s Nigerian funk, reggae and of course Hi-Life.
Their much anticipated debut album 'Afrobeast' was released on 10th May and is distributed by Sterns Records and available from all good record stores and as downloads.
Remixes from DJ D and Olatunde are also available on Hereandnow recordings.



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