Artist Info: Ajate

Formed in 2011 by band leader Junichiro "John" Imaeda, Ajate consists of 10 Japanese musicians who play a unique blend of afrobeat music mixed with Japanese traditional festival music called "Ohayashi".

During a stay in West Africa in the late 2000’s, Junichiro "John" Imaeda was taken aback by the similarities he felt between the Afrobeat that resonated in the streets of Accra, and the sounds of the "Ohayashi”, the music played during ancestral Japanese festivals, in which John had participated since his childhood. [read more...]