Family Atlantica: »Cosmic Unity«
Transatlantic
Ethiopian funk meets Venezuelan brass, African kalimba loops meet Cuban rumba, Ghanaian high-life meets calypso – and everything seasoned with a dash of spiritual jazz: this wild mixture is only found in the music of Family Atlantica! The band from the erstwhile disreputable district of Hackney in London’s East End blends a wide variety of influences to create its own individual style, a style that reflects the varied, multicultural music scene of the British capital in vivid and sensuous fashion.
Latin American and Caribbean sounds have their place in the Family Atlantica universe as much as the music of Africa and Europe. The interest of the cosmopolitan ensemble is focused on folk traditions that have become established over the centuries in different local versions on both sides of the Atlantic. The song texts are sung in English, Spanish, Portuguese and the West African language Yoruba.
But what connects all these disparate musical elements for Family Atlantica is clearly the groove. No wonder their live concerts are not only rousing, uplifting and hypnotic in effect, but are also very danceable for much of the time!
Performers
Luzmira Zerpa vocals
Jack Yglesias Flöte, Schlagwerk
Wayne Francis saxophone
Adrian Owusu guitar
Kareem Dayes bass guitar
Kwamena Crentsil djembe, congas
Yussef Dayes drums