Nubiyan Twist are a Leeds born, London based musical collective. Orchestrated by guitarist/producer Tom Excell, they create a unique, infectious sound in an eclectic mix of styles, drawing on jazz, hip-hop, afrobeat, latin, soul, reggae and dance music.
A blend of virtuosic players, skilled producers and inspired composers join forces to lay the foundations for singer & mc Nubiya Brandon’s soulful and melodic vocals.
With a 10 piece live show featuring a 4 piece horn section, 2 vocalists, electronics and an international (Brazil/UK) rhythm section, nubiyan twist create a powerful and unforgettable experience.
Their debut album received strong support across the jazz, world and hiphop press, with support from sources as diverse as Huey Morgan, David Rodigan, Craig Charles, The Independent, Songlines, Afropunk and SBTV. This was followed up with Siren Song in May 2016 + a rework of Supercat’s Dance Inna New York in 2017. 2018 brings their next studio album due out on Strut records in October.
The band have performed on huge stages across the world, being chosen by David Byrne to perform at Queen Elizabeth hall for the south bank’s meltdown festival, selling out london’s iconic Jazz Cafe, and rocking festival stages from Glastonbury to Shambala, Boomtown to Edinburgh Jazz Festival, with their powerful sound and unique blend of styles.
Kweku Sackey aka K.O.G (Kweku of Ghana) is a multi-dimensional creative force, combining exquisite writing skills with shamanistic live performance, fierce raps, perfectly on pitch singing across a massive vocal range and some absolutely wicked dance moves. Not to mention his skills as a percussionist, arranger, bandleader and art director. A true poet and storyteller, he uses a mix of English, Pidgin and Ga to paint sonic pictures that reach deep into the souls of everyone ready to listen.
Born in Accra, Ghana, to a nurse mother and marine engineer father who had studied in England, he grew up with a diverse range of international influences alongside Ghanaian styles: Tom Waits, Quincy Jones, Bob Marley, Sizzla, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Ebo Taylor, Gyedu Blay Ambolley, Atongo Simba, George Clinton, Pavarotti, Warsaw Village Band.
Resident for over 10 years in Sheffield, UK, music has taken him to perform in 15 countries at huge stages all over the world, from Glastonbury’s legendary West Holts stage to Fusion (Germany), Sauti Za Busara (Zanzibar), Kabardock (Reunion) and the Commonwealth Games (Gold Cost, Australia), winning the 2018 Young Commonwealth Performer and performing for Nelson Mandela’s family.
A prolific writer and collaborator, he needs a range of projects to showcase the different sides of his unique talent. He is the lead vocalist for afro-futurist project Onipa (Strut Records, Wormfood) and hi-life/hiphop/funk band K.O.G and the Zongo Brigade (Heavenly Sweetness), as well as collaborating extensively with Nubiyan Twist; his song ‘If I know’ off the Freedom Fables album (Strut, March 2021) was performed live on Later with Jools Holland and A playlisted twice on BBC6 Music.
Kweku is deeply aware of his heritage and of his role as an ambassador both through space and time, negotiating culturally both between African and Western influences and between the traditional and the modern: always open to new innovations and ideas while firmly rooted in a deep lineage. This openness has informed recent collaborations with a wide wide range of producers and writers, including iZem, Afriquoi, Scrimshire Congo Natty, Dark Sky, Dizraeli, Chiminyo, Umoja and many more in the pipeline. He will launch his solo album in October 2021 on French label Heavenly Sweetness, produced by master French producer Guts (Alliance Ethnik) and longtime friend and collaborator Tom Excell (Nubiyan Twist, Onipa).
African Night Fever has been bringing the best musicians from Africa and the African diaspora to audiences in Brighton and beyond since 2005. Music promotion company founders Ebou Touray and David Sijale began by organising monthly music nights at the Babylon Lounge in Hove, featuring a mix of live music and DJ sets. Since the success of these nights, African Night Fever has developed to bring African music events to various venues across their home city, including the Brighton Dome Studio Theatre, the Komedia Brighton and the Ropetackle Centre in Shoreham.
