Newen Afrobeat
Continuing the Legacy of Fela Kuti
Booking only for Europe
Newen Afrobeat is a Chilean band, pioneer in the Afrobeat genre in Chile and one of the current references of this musical style born in the late 60’s in Nigeria by the hand of Fela Kuti and Tony Allen. With 15 years of trajectory, they have been opening space within the world music, jazz and global afrobeat music scenes with outstanding appearances in important events such as Womad, Womex, Felabration Nigeria, Jazz Festival in Montreal and presentations in more than 20 countries in Latin America, North America, Africa and Europe. With 5 studio albums where both their original music LP’s and the emblematic EP’s entitled “Newen Plays Fela” stand out, where the Chilean band has made outstanding reversions of some of Fela Kuti’s classics such as the popular “Opposite People” (14 million reproductions make it the most viewed afrobeat video in the world on youtube), Newen has earned the respect of even the very pioneers of Afrobeat, coining collaborations and befriending legends of the genre such as Tony Allen, Femi Kuti, Cheick Tidiane Seck, Seun Kuti, Oghene Kologbo and Dele Sosimi to name a few, who have validated and blessed Newen Afrobeat’s proposal for its freshness and unique stamp.
Today, Newen Afrobeat proposes a unique sound, with a proposal of cultural integration between Latin America and Africa and an energetic and colorful staging without ever leaving aside the social message that characterizes each of its lyrics. A proposal that leaves no one indifferent and that this year arrives in Europe to present their new album live with launch concerts confirmed in Paris, Berlin, Barcelona, Madrid, London and Rome.
“Grietas” Promotional Info
Newen Afrobeat celebrates 15 years of trajectory with the release of their fifth album titled „GRIETAS“, a production that stands out for incorporating consolidated icons of global music such as: Lido Pimienta, Chico Cesar, Dele Sosimi and Joe Vasconcellos, who undoubtedly enrich the proposal with their cultural perspective, essence and distinctive style generating an unprecedented sound experience. In this work, the band takes a leap towards a more modern and fresh sound, betting on adding to their characteristic style, other sonorous elements of highlife, jazz, electronic, Latin, funk, rock and soul.
The title „GRIETAS“ responds to the idea of rupture and transformation, reflecting the duality between life and death, deterioration and reconstruction, as well as the interconnection between diverse cultures and roots in a changing world. This duality also operates in the themes addressed in each song, as it goes through reflections on the controversies of today’s world as well as through stories of more everyday and emotional human feelings.
It is precisely this complexity that makes this creation a provocative and diverse journey that transcends the boundaries of conventional Afrobeat, bringing it to the present with a freshness and depth that make it a must for any music lover in search of something truly unique and transformative.
Newen Afrobeat are from Chile rather than Lagos, but are proof that afrobeat has become a global music to address injustice.
— Lucas Keen Rhythm Passport
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