London-based ensemble Afriquoi combine influences from several styles of African traditional music (such as soukous, mbira, and rhumba) with elements of contemporary electronic music (including house, drum'n'bass, and dubstep) to create a high-energy, celebratory form of pan-global dance music. The group's members hail from Botswana, the Gambia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and the United Kingdom, with a revolving lineup of guest musicians and vocalists from across Africa, Europe, America, and the Caribbean. The project originated in 2011 when promoter/percussionist André Marmot began arranging recording sessions with producer Nico Bentley, Gambian kora player Jallykebba Susso, Congolese guitarist Fiston Lusambo, and marimba player Kudaushe Matimba. He decided to bring the musicians together for collaborative sessions, and these turned out to be successful, so further sessions took place including guest appearances by dancehall MC Warrior Queen, mbira player Otto Gumaelius, guimbri player Nuru Kane, Jamaican/British vocalist Serocee, and several others. In 2013, the group established its performing lineup, consisting of Susso, Lusambo, Marmot, Bentley, and vocalist André Espeut, and began taking their energetic fusion sound to the stage, performing at festivals including Glastonbury, Bestival, and Fusion Festival. Afriquoi remixed Malian guitarist Vieux Farka Touré's song "Nouhoume Maiga" in 2013. The group's debut album, Kolaba, a culmination of the first four years of their collaborative efforts, arrived on Marmot's Wormfood Recordings in the summer of 2015. ~ Paul Simpson