AWALÉ is a brand of Afro Gipsy beat brewed in London. Like the African game the band is named after, the music is played in turns and cycles of various lengths, creating original grooves, echoing Ethiopian funk, afro-beat, eastern europe or minimalism in a joyful polyrhythmic stew. Having played with various outfits ranging from croatia to kenya, frenchman Thibaut Remy started making “ Afronine”, taking elements of Afro-beat but with an odd groove. Fate stroke when Oreste Noda (Ska Cubano, Hugh Masekela), eminent Cuban conga player heard it and said: “man you are crazy! Make some more”, and started laying down some fat percussion. The infectious enthusiasm worked its way through making more tunes, and teaming up with friends and fierce players of the London jazz scene: drummer Ben Reynolds (Jaqui Dankworth, Fraud), saxophonist Ben Somers (Dub Colossus, Dr John), trumpeter Joe Auckland (Madness) and bassist Will Collier (Jamie Cullum). With killer musicians, the music started grooving solidly and celebrating diversity with a big smile. Badia'a from Tunisia (check out her myspace Neyssatou) adds vocals and spice, contributing to creating new globalocal london music, a patchwork of styles and influences from all over the world, cooked our own way for everybody's enjoyment.
