Time for a bit of Japanese afro-beat. Yes, you heard that right. Ajate is a Japanese band formed in 2011, consisting of 10 musicians and led by John Imaeda. Abrada is their new full-length project, which is released on 180g Records. With a mixture of afro-beat dance music and traditional Japanese festival music called ‘Ohayashi,’ this group delves deep into infectious and groove-heavy territory, with the use of  hand-made bamboo instruments as well as traditional Japanese percussion. The vocal performances on this project are powerful a well and give another dimension to the already incredibly poignant sound.

Listen to Ajate’s Abrada below via Bandcamp, and make sure you support the music. Released on 180g Records.