Afro Celt Sound System
A high-energy collision of West African rhythms, Celtic melodies, and deep electronic grooves. It is a lush, borderless celebration of global dance music.
A high-energy collision of West African rhythms, Celtic melodies, and deep electronic grooves. It is a lush, borderless celebration of global dance music.
Listening to Afro Celt Sound System feels like standing at a crossroads where ancient traditions meet a futuristic dance floor. The music is defined by its massive, panoramic scale, layering the intricate, cascading plucks of the kora and the mournful, soaring wail of uilleann pipes over thick, club-ready basslines and trip-hop breakbeats. It is a sound that manages to be both deeply grounded in the earth and soaringly spiritual.
What makes them truly distinctive is the seamlessness of the fusion. This isn't a superficial 'world music' mashup; it is a deeply researched dialogue where the rhythmic commonalities between African percussion and Celtic jigs are exploited to create something entirely new. The production is crystalline and expansive, a hallmark of the Real World Records aesthetic, ensuring that every thumb piano click and fiddle scrape has its own space in the mix.
Start with 'Volume 2: Release' or the career-spanning 'Capture' collection. These recordings showcase their ability to move from intimate, whispered vocal passages to explosive, high-tempo climaxes that demand movement. It is the perfect entry point for anyone who loves the technicality of folk but wants the visceral impact of electronic music.
Afro Celt Sound System are a folk rock group who fuse electronic music with traditional Gaelic and West African music. Afro Celt Sound System was formed in 1995 by producer-guitarist Simon Emmerson, and feature a wide range of guest artists. In 2003, they temporarily changed their name to Afrocelts before reverting to their original name. Their albums have been released through Peter Gabriel's Real World Records, and they have frequently performed at WOMAD festivals worldwide. Their sales on the label are exceeded only by Gabriel himself. Their recording contract with Real World was for five albums, of which Volume 5: Anatomic was the last. After a number of festival dates in 2007, the band went on hiatus. In 2010, they regrouped to play a number of shows (including a return to WOMAD), and released a remastered retrospective titled Capture. On 20 May 2014, Afro Celt Sound System announced the release of the album Born. In January 2016, a posting on their website revealed that due to a dispute with Emmerson, who announced his departure from the band in 2015, there were two active versions of the band, one led by Emmerson and another with a separate line-up headed by James McNally and Martin Russell. Emmerson's version of the band released the album The Source in 2016. The dispute ended on 21 December 2016, with an announcement on social media. The band released their seventh studio album, Flight, on 23 November 2018.
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