Gangbé Brass Band
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Cotonou's "metal sound": vodoun brass and percussions that have been around the world since 1994.
The Gangbé Brass Band was founded in 1994 in Cotonou by young Beninese jazz musicians. Its name, "gangbe", means "the sound of metal" in the language of the Fon: trumpets, trombone, saxophone, bugle, euphonium and subaphone, dialogue with traditional Beninese percussions and songs in Fon, Mina or Yoruba.
Their music merges the rhythms of vodoun ceremonies, the Afrobeat of Fela Kuti and jazz of New Orleans, in festive and dancing concerts. Supported by the French Cultural Centre in Cotonou, the band recorded its first album "Gangbé" in 1998 and began long tours in Africa, Europe and North America, until the WOMAD festival.
The documentary "Gangbé!" (2014) told about their collective adventure. After "Go Slow to Lagos" (2015) and "Nod (New Orleans Dream)" (2020), the album "From Ouidah to Another World" (2025) extended their sound bridge between Benin and diasporas.