root salad f22 Tropic Of Brighton
A local sidebar to our UK diasporas feature (see page 32 onwards) from Jamie Renton.
Lakuta A
tropical music scene in Brighton? Well it is in the south and on the coast. I’ll grant you no-one’s likely to confuse the English Channel with the Caribbean, but the place has got a reputation for open-minded hedonism, making it the perfect breeding ground for party bands with intriguing influences.
I first chanced upon the scene thanks to
Voodoo Love Orchestra, a rumbustious eleven-piece who cook up a brass blasting gumbo of Colombian cumbia, Jamaican ska, Ghanaian highlife, New Orleans funky jazz and more besides. Formed in 2012, they fea- ture a carnivalesque combination of sousa- phone, trombone, trumpet, sax, clarinet, vocals, military drums and Latin percussion and have been described as providing more of an invasion than a performance. VLO’s second album Inglorious Technicolor (Movimientos) was one of the prime party soundtracks of 2016.
“There has always been a good world music scene here,” explains VLO’s singer, percussionist and “megaphone-wielding High Priestess” Cicely Taylor. “And lots of percussion groups. Brighton has been home to DJs like Russ Dewbury (Jazz Rooms) and John Warr (Afrobase) who have helped to raise the profile of tropical/world music through live gigs and Juice Radio hosting their shows. We were lucky to have Guy Morley (Afrobase) programming music at The Dome for quite a few years too. We are also home to the Tru Thoughts label who
have championed tropical music, in particu- lar cumbia from Colombia (which we play lots of in Voodoo Love Orchestra). Tru Thoughts have more recently signed Brighton-based bands in the tropical genre like Lakuta, who some of us play with.”
Ah yes, Lakuta, now there’s a band. Their name means ‘to meet or share’ in Swahili, they’re led by Tanzanian/Kenyan vocalist Siggi Mwasote and feature Cicely on percussion. Their album of last year Brothers And Sisters (Tru Thoughts) was a righteous and intoxicating blend of social commentary, soulful singing, on-the-money horns and funky Afrobeat-infused rhythms.
he Tru Thoughts label is a definite cornerstone of the scene. As well as Lakuta, it’s also home to inter- national big names such as Quan- tic, Alice Russell and Hot 8 Brass Band, to name but a few. “I think Brighton is unique as it has a lot of different music scenes and being relatively small for a city, everyone can see what is going on,” so reckons Rob Luis, the label’s co-owner & head of A&R. “It has historically been a ‘party’ destina- tion for a long time and that influence does not seem to be going away. Also, there are lots of colleges and universities which bring a lot of creative minded peo- ple into the city.”
T The gloriously monikered King
Lagoon’s Flying Swordfish Danceband are a ten-piece psychedelic Afro-Latin ensemble who offer a full-on sensory experience,
complete with a ‘smell techni- cian’ creating aromas through the burning of oils and incense, pulverising fruit and boiling herbs! “Four or five years ago, if I’d have said my band plays African and Latin styles, most people would think of ‘some kind of crazy tribal drumming’ or some- thing really cheesy or just not really have any idea,” explains Rodrigo Kerr, who formed King Lagoon’s… back in 2008. “But over the last few years there seems to be a growing number of people who know what I’m talking about. I bump into more and more people who have taken an interest in these styles and know that the kinds of music involved in the ‘tropical’ scene are powerful for the dance floor and can make a bunch of people who have never heard that sort of music before
dance their pants off! Brighton has had a scene for Brazilian, African and Latin music for many years but it’s recently on the up – as is the case nationally. There are new club nights springing up in Brighton eg Between The Tropics, Afro Boom and Club Africa.”
Formed seven years back, nine-piece Dende kick up a swinging mix of cumbia, calypso, reggae and other tropical stylings. “I think people are always looking for a bit of sunshine around here and that’s what we aim to bring to the dance floor,” explains accordeon-wielding lead singer Ali Jane. “Infectious rhythms, deep bass funky horn lines, sweet vocals and harmonies. All alongside warm-hearted banter, lots of audience interaction and connection, fun and a bit of silliness!”
“The scene has always been strong and a defining social form in Brighton,” Dende’s guitarist Edi Martini tells me. “Samba bands, Capoeira groups, Latin vibes, reggae sound systems, carnivals and street parties have been an essential part of our culture in Brighton for some time. It’s a positive feel- ing that we seek down by the seaside and we love to come together and celebrate.”
voodooloveorchestra.com lakuta.co.uk
tru-thoughts.co.uk flyingswordfish.co.uk movingsounds.org/dende
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Photo: Mathew Monfred
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