Afrobeat

28 September 2009

By Jonathan Jackson, Photography Flor Marenco and Chris Sataua (originally published 03/01/09)

Afrobeat is a band with an eclectic mix of styles (and haircuts): DJ Revuelta Sonora mixing records live on the 1’s and 2’s, Guillermo Norory, behind his keyboard throwing down some funky riffs, and drummer Augusto Mejia keeping the beat on the bongos. The result of this unique combination is one seamless, funky 80 minute mix happening live in front of you.

All three members of Afrobeat are also part of the funk band Momotombo. About two years ago they decided it would be a fun idea to create an additional group that would offer them unlimited freedom during live performances. The Afrobeat concept became their outlet for creating totally impulsive sessions of music and letting a moment’s inspiration guide them. There is no structure or preparation before a show; everything you see onstage is spontaneous. The interaction between the band is reminiscent of jazz musicians improvising and feeding off of each other, and because of this no performance is ever the same.

DJ Revuelta Sonora is the maestro; he is responsible for laying down the main beat based on the records he decides to play. The rest of the group improvises off of his lead, with harmonies and effects from Norory’s keyboard, and a little bit of afro-latin percussion and the occasional inaudible vocal styling of Mejia. One of the great things about watching the band perform is that it is impossible to know what’s coming next. At a recent show in Arribas Bar, DJ Revuelta Sonora mixed in a record that seemed to come as a surprise to the drummer Mejia, who threw him a puzzled look, yet began playing along with the beat with barely a pause. To the audience it sounded as if it had been planned that way all along, and that’s the beauty of Afrobeat. The trio jammed nonstop for well over an hour, lost in an hypnotic aural groove; leaving the crowd transfixed, and in the end, calling out for more.