Lo Ke Ba

Lo Ke Ba is a ten-piece band playing exciting, original, contemporary Afro Cuban music. The music of Lo Ke Ba is a joyful, celebratory mix of the beautifully rich range of musical traditions and styles rooted in Cuba. Lo Ke Ba live propels the audience through the worlds of traditional Afro Cuban folkloric music, classic salsa and contemporary timba into the world of Lo Ke Ba - an elegant, energetic combination of tradition and creativity that brings the vibes, makes you dance and gives you something to think about. Lo Ke Ba sing in Spanish and English about the world as they see it, the lives they have led and the struggles they have encountered, within themselves and between people, under two opposing ideological systems. The music makes you want to move and the songs give you something to think about. Singers, Adriana Lord and Pedro Enrique Medina are both well respected and loved Cuban vocalists who are well-established at the centre of Cuban music in Brighton. They bring all the fire, passion and joy of their home city of Havana to the Lo Ke Ba live show. Lo Ke Ba grew from a 20-year exchange of friendship, culture, music, religion and ideas between the UK and Cuba. Since 2002, percussionist Rich Kensington has journeyed from London to his teacher, friend and mentor Chaguito (Santiago Garzón Rill) in Havana. Ten years after his first trip, he sat on the roof of the Hotel Lincoln listening to what Frank ‘El Matador’ Oropesa had to say: ‘It’s good to have spent all of these years coming to Cuba to learn our traditions but now you must make the music your own’. The message from the world renowned bongocero planted the seed that was to become Lo Ke Ba. Not long after recording with Rich in the studio of El Septeto Nacional de Ignacio Piñero, Adriana Lord set off on her own journey, from Cuba to the UK. After establishing herself as a singer in the UK music scene, Adriana once again met up with Rich and the pair started writing, joined by Matt Baker on piano. Matt completed the circle with his own journey to Havana to meet and work with Chaguito on ideas for the album, bringing not only Chaguito’s words and melodies, but the events which surrounded their writing, to the songs themselves. In the bands first album, Delirio, Adriana, Rich and Matt create eight songs, sung in both Spanish and English by Adriana, about the world as they see it, the lives they have led and the struggles they have encountered, within themselves and between people, under two opposing ideological systems. It’s an album that makes you want to move and gives you something to think about. Delirio was produced by Richard Kensington and Matt Baker in collaboration with Alex Wilson and Eliane Correa. It was mixed and mastered by Jose Mendoza Colmenares (Oscar D’ León). The cover design is by Cuban artist, RAUPA.