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The Soul Rebels with special guest Seun Kuti
  • The Soul Rebels

    Brass sensation The Soul Rebels started with an idea - to expand upon the pop music they loved on the radio and the New Orleans brass tradition they grew up on. They took that tradition and blended funk and soul with elements of hip hop, jazz and rock all within the style of a modernized and contemporary brass band. 

    The Soul Rebels built a career around an eclectic live show that harnesses the power of horns and drums in a party-like atmosphere.  The eight-member collective frequently appear on major record label releases with star artists including Sony Music artist G-Eazy’s single ‘When You’re Gone” featuring Lil Wayne, Def Jam artist Dave East and Nas’ “Godfather 4”, Big Freedia and Icona Pop’s “Pipe That” and Warner Music Group artist Phony Ppl’s new album. The Soul Rebels have scored original music for Walt Disney’s 2023 movie Haunted Mansion and appeared on the official soundtrack for Universal Pictures' hit comedy Girls Trip

    The Soul Rebels have impressed viewers with two appearances on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, featured on NPR's Tiny Desk series with Wu Tang Clan front man GZA, and headlined the global TED Conference. 

    The Soul Rebels are riding high in 2024 after receiving national attention following the release of their new album, Poetry In Motion

    The Soul Rebels continue to expand their international reach touring four continents including Europe, Australia, China, South Korea and Japan. Their explosive stage presence has led to live collaborations with the likes of Katy Perry, Nas, G-Eazy, DMX, Robin Thicke, Macy Gray, Portugal. The Man, Robert Glasper, Pretty Lights, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Matisyahu and most notably their new supergroup with the legendary Wu Tang Clan. 

    The Soul Rebels continue to chart new territory and are respected for their ability to combine topnotch musicianship with songs that celebrate peace, love and soul. 

  • Seun Kuti

    Seun Kuti is the youngest son of Afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti. He has spent most of his life preserving and extending his father's political and musical legacy as the leader of his father's former band Egypt 80. Kuti was born in early 1983. He showed interest in his father's music from the age of five, and at nine began opening Fela's shows, singing a select group of songs with Egypt 80 before his dad took the stage. As a developing saxophonist and percussionist, he entered the formal ranks of the band before he was 12. Fela passed in 1997, and Seun, in fulfillment of his father's wishes, assumed the mantle as head of Egypt 80; he has run it ever since. During his teens, Kuti divided his time between the band and school, participating in African Football. From the time he was 18, he pursued music full-time. His shows were always a mix of his father's tunes and his own. Although the elder Kuti never performed his recorded work on-stage, Seun felt it important that these compositions get a live hearing and added them to his own set. 

    Along the way, Seun began to add his own twist to the music, digging deep into various African traditions to reflect the continent's struggles and cultures. His debut recording, Seun Kuti & Fela's Egypt 80, was initially issued by WM Recordings in 2008, and later picked up for distribution by Mr. Bongo. While many outside Africa criticized it for using the Egypt 80 name, critics embraced its musical drive and improvisational fervor. Mr. Bongo also released his Many Things set later that year, which drew more praise than criticism. Seun toured globally and played for enthusiastically receptive audiences in Detroit, New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, Paris, London, Tokyo, and especially Lagos. In 2011, He cut From Africa with Fury: Rise for Knitting Factory Records. It was co-produced with Brian Eno and John Reynolds. The set proved to be his breakthrough; it landed on both Billboard and digital International Charts. Seun Kuti & Egypt 80 toured the globe relentlessly, often playing multi-hour shows that were as heavy on group improvisation as they were on composition. The music never deviated from the overtly political. The younger Kuti continued to state that "Fela will always be number one," despite the fact that he was shifting and transforming Afrobeat with his own growing, evolving musical signature. "As the son of Afrobeat icon Fela Kuti, Seun Kuti carries a torch for infectious grooves and political songwriting." - NPR 

    On December 9, 2022, Seun Kuti released a new EP titled African Dreams. The EP, featuring with Roots frontman and MC extraordinaire Black Thought., consists of three remixes of songs from Seun Kuti & Egypt 80’s 2018 Grammy-nominated album Black Times. The ep reached the top20 on the American Independent Radio Charts (NACC), the top3 on the Hip Hop Chart, and the top5 on the World Chart. In 2023 Seun Kuti collaborated on Janelle Monae's album (Grammy nominee for Album Of The Year) with two singles: 'Float' and 'Knows Better'. And he features also on "Liberation 2" - Talib Kweli and MadLib album - on the song "Nat Turner" ft Cassper Nyovest and he released a new version of the single "BadMan Lighter" with Black Thought, featuring Vic Mensa, reaching 1 million monthly listeners on Spotify. 

     
  • Spacehall Sound Machine

    Spacehall Sound Machine is a psychedelic dance band based in San Diego, CA and created in 2022.  The 4 - 6 piece instrumental ensemble is the brainchild of Matt Bozzone, a drummer who has spent 10+ years touring the U.S. with a variety of artists in the global groove scene, including Nigerian afrobeat masters Seun Kuti & Egypt 80.  In 2022, Bozzone and bandmate Mitchum Yacoub played percussion for Seun Kuti & Egypt 80 on six U.S. tour dates, including a performance at Desert Daze.  Combining West African & Latin rhythms with breakbeats, elements of dub, post-punk, psychedelic rock, and eastern melodies, Spacehall Sound Machine creates hypnotic grooves designed to move bodies on the dance floor and take adventurous minds on a journey.