Part of the Red Africa season, Calvert 22 is pleased to join forces with The Africa Centre to present a night featuring some of the most innovative Afrobeat acts around as part of its new seasonal programme, Red Africa.
Enjoy the music of the incredibly talented guitarist Emeka Elendu with his tribute band Kalakuta and the hottest Afrobeat sounds, curated by the world’s leading African music ambassador himself, DJ Edu.
The event will be hosted at Rich Mix, in East London.
Emeka Elendu Presents – Kalakuta
After spending his formative years as a shadow guitarist working his way up to chief guitarist in the late great Fela Olufela Olusegun Oludotun Ransome-Kuti’s band, Emeka Elendu moved to the UK, setting up ‘Emeka Elendu Presents – Kalakuta’, a tribute band with the aim to teach many people the music of Fela. The band is gradually gaining momentum, dazzling audiences around Europe.
Emeka’s vision is to give to the world new, modern music, which innovates and pushes the boundaries of Afrobeat music, continuing on from where it was left by Fela Kuti. Afrobeat has all the ingredients of life, everyone should play it!
http://www.kalakuta.co.uk/
DJ Edu
As the world’s leading African music ambassador, DJ Edu is at the forefront of championing African talent across the globe.
His weekly BBC Radio 1Xtra show, Destination Africa, is the UK’s longest running and most influential African music show. As the pilot of #AfrobossAirlines, Edu represents the 360 degrees of African music, from Johannesburg to Lagos and Nairobi to Gaborone.
Aside from his regular show, Edu regularly presents documentaries and specials for the World Service, Global Beats, BBC Radio 1 & 1Xtra and Focus on Africa. His most recent project, “The Best Nightclub in Africa”, saw him scour the continent to find the hottest sounds and nights in the motherland.
Edu’s encyclopaedic knowledge of the scene has also enabled him to regularly contribute to blogs and publications. Most recently, he has written about trends in African music for i-D Magazine, Dazed and The Huffington Post.
Put simply, ‘Anytime you hear the gbedu, make you nah say EDU’
Taking place from 4 February – 3 April 2016, Red Africa is Calvert 22’s new season of art, film, events and talks exploring the legacy of the cultural relationships between Africa, the Soviet Union and related countries that flourished during the Cold War.
The mission of the Calvert 22 Foundation is to support and share the contemporary culture and creativity of the new east – eastern Europe, the Balkans, Russia and Central Asia – enriching perceptions of the region and furthering international understanding.
The Africa Centre exists to promote Africa’s cultural diversity outside of the continent. The organisation serves as a hub to promote creativity and innovation in African art, culture, business and entrepreneurship in London.