BIOGRAPHY

No stopovers on the way to Lagos in the company of this explosive Nigerian-styled super band! The magic touch of the master of Afro and funk who would have made the perfect right-hand man for Fela Kuti during his earthly reign… Leon “Kaleta” Ligan-Majek emerged in 2017 as the flamboyant frontman of New York-based Super Yamba Band. In his well-stocked musical bag, an Afrobeat and jùjú arrangement matching the beat of Nigerian hearts and feet. It was a memorable exploratory period with its psychedelic aspects masterfully integrated heralding an artistic blossoming.

Their real breakthrough came in 2019, with the release of Mèdaho (meaning, big brother), a powerful album punctuated with direct inferences to James Brown’s legacy and the Beninese Théophile do Rego, pillars of the funk movement in a golden age styled by elephant pants! A nod to Kaleta’s older brother, to whom he is eternally grateful for introducing him to this era; and to the aura of Fela Kuti, who will forever watch over band-man Leon and his companions. The album stands out for its mix of Beninese and Nigerian dance rhythms, an invigorating recipe whose secret ingredient lies in its musical fusion. Like a hyphen without a space or false note, six Afro-funksters, tuned into the control centre’s groove. Black and White, and never out of breath, from the first note to the very last. A harmonious succession of trumpet, synthesizer, bass and African percussion rhythms steadily following the thread of a timeless performance. Power and osmosis for the most vigorous, prohibited for rest.