Rumba de Bodas

About

" The world (music) is their oyster "

Bologna – home to the oldest university in the world that attracts several thousand students each year, is a city with a rich nightlife and a vibrant playground for cultural (and musical) exchanges from all around the world. It was a perfect soil, then, to give birth to a 7-pack energy ball called Rumba de Bodas that intertwines so many different musical styles, from cumbia, Latin jazz and swing to afrobeat, reggae, funk and ska. Not only musically, but also lyrically, they are a little Tower of Babel with songs written in English, Italian, Portuguese and French, even including some expressions from the Twi language of Ghana.

Founded in 2008, this carnivalesque collective became known for their energetic and captivating live performances. Their debut album ‘Just Married‘ was released in 2012, and followed by ‘Karnaval Fou‘ in 2014, the pair seeing them inducted into several respectable music festivals and public squares around Europe, and introducing their trademarked Afro-Latin jazz with elements of funk to a much wider audience. Their brass section and upbeat melodies are performed by their vocalist Rachel Doe, and, combined with their vibrant personal energies, turn every concert into a memorable party that refills their listeners’ batteries.

After their third album ‘Super Power‘ was released on Irma Records in 2018, in 2023 they finally presented their colorful fourth studio album entitled ‘Yen Ko‘ (meaning “Let’s go” in Twi), mostly inspired by African rhythms. Yen Ko speaks about social and political issues such as the Mediterranean migration crisis, care for nature, freedom of speech and personal anxieties, but with a bright and optimistic view of the future – an attitude that feels worth spreading during their current world tour.