Biography

Twenty four years have passed since Antibalas’s humble beginning as a neighborhood dance and protest band in the underground parties in pre-gentrified Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Since then they have evolved into what the Guardian called “one of the world’s finest Afrobeat bands” while enjoying equal renown for their cross-genre collaborations with legends of popular music. Founded in 1998 by saxophonist Martín Perna, early incarnations of the group included several members of the Dap Kings including bassist / producer Gabriel Roth, guitarist Binky Griptite, keyboardist Victor Axelrod and conguero Fernando “Bugaloo Velez,” and trumpeter Anda Szilagyi. As the group expanded, it absorbed younger musicians from the Daptone family including bassist Nick Movshon (El Michels, Black Keys) and others. In 1999, Perna and Roth dropped in at an atelier / dojo belonging to Duke Amayo. Amayo soon became a fixture in the group, first on percussion, then later on vocals, vibraphone, and keyboards and moving to center stage as the group’s frontman until his departure in 2021. After the second LP “Talkatif” (2002, Ninja Tune), they began touring heavily throughout North America and Europe including performances at Glastonbury, Montreux Jazz Festival, Coachella, Bonnnaroo and the Newport Jazz Festival. Over the years, they expanded their travels to over forty countries across five continents.