Image: Immy Owusu by Kira Puru
Event info
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Free
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18+
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Wheelchair accessible (without assistance)
Accessible toilets
Seating available
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Immy Owusu & Sensible J
Akoma Beat
Asanti Beat
West End Gap
DJ Manchild -
IMMY OWUSU & SENSIBLE J
Owusu, a Ghanaian Australian singer and multi-instrumentalist bonded with South African
Australian drummer, beatmaker and producer Sensible J (Sampa The Great, Cool Out
Sun, Remi) bonded over a shared love of the raw sounds of 70s African music. The
swirling psych/afro/funk of their most recent EP ‘Spiritual War’ is a rowdy, boisterous
selection of songs about injustice, insanity and the inanity of modern life in the burning
house that is late capitalism.
Immy: “I met Sensible J on my first ever visit to Section 8 in Melbourne. He was spinning
artists like The Funkees and Cymande, and up until that point in my young life living on
the coast I had never met anyone interested in that kind of music. He was a dream
producer of mine to work with ever since I became familiar with his work through Sampa
the Great and Remi. We holed up in J’s studio ‘The House Of Beige’ in Somerville and
started workshopping through a few ideas. While we were tracking through ideas we
listened to highlife, Zamrock and afro-funk tracks with a little bit of Talking Heads and
Sepultura mixed in.”
AKOMA BEAT
Akoma Beat is a Melbourne-based ensemble performing Ghanaian highlife dance
music. Their sound centres on buoyant guitar lines layered percussion and
interlocking rhythmic patterns that drive the distinctive swing of classic highlife.
Drawing on West African dance traditions the group balances rhythmic precision
with a celebratory performance style. Akoma Beat’s live shows emphasise groove
call-and-response phrasing and cyclical song forms creating inclusive dance-floor
energy grounded in Ghanaian musical language and presented through a
contemporary band setting
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064435672947
ASANTI BEAT
Blending melodic sounds of the kora with the raw, rhythmic beat of the drums, the
band takes you on a musical journey of funk, jazz and percussion.
Appiah & Asanti Beats is a Melbourne-based band led by renowned dancer and
musician Appiah Annan the band takes you on a musical journey of funk, jazz and
percussion, inspired by ancient rituals and ancestral values. Weaving traditional
and contemporary music, blending melodic sounds of the kora with the raw,
rhythmic beat of the drums, the band uses the music to translate stories of
everyday life, love, wisdom and peace, reminding us of the importance of
connection and celebrating who we are as a rich and diverse Australian community.
https://asantidancetheatre.com/appiah-and-asanti-beats/
WESTEND GAP
Founded in Naarm/Melbourne in 2026, West End Gap is an 8+ piece
collective, exploring and expanding upon the music of Fela Kuti and Tony
Allen. Led by Iliya Zakharov and Michael Campelj, West End Gap is
reimagining the musical, political and philosophical art of afrobeat, highlife,
jazz and hip-hop.
KUKUAA”S KITCHEN
Kukuaa’s kitchen is run by Ghanian chef and long-time member of Public
Opinion Afro Orchestra, Kukuaa Acquah. Drawing on her family recipes she
will feeding the masses all day
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Doors Open : 12pm
Event Start : 5pm
Event End : 1amSet Times are subject to change
Feel the rhythm of West Africa
Akwaaba: a celebration of West African music, food and culture with live bands, DJs and authentic Ghanaian flavours in one immersive, all-day event.
Akwaaba - meaning "welcome" in the Twi language of Ghana's Akan people.
Headlined by Immy Owusu & Sensible J, the event blends the raw spirit of 70s African sounds with a contemporary edge, weaving afro-funk and psychedelic influences. The dancefloor energy will be massive with Asanti Beat, fusing kora, percussion, funk and jazz in a powerful, story-led performance.
DJ Manchild will keep the energy flowing between sets.
Complementing the music, Kukuaa’s Kitchen will be serving authentic Ghanaian dishes throughout the day.
Presented by
Old Plates
Leaps And Bounds