Afrodizz

Afrodizz is a Montréal-based Afrobeat-Afrofunk group consisting of eight musicians: Gabriel Aldama on guitar, David Carbonneau on trumpet, Jean-Philippe Goncalves on drums, François Plante on bass, François Vincent on percussions, Frédè Simard and François Glidden on saxophone and Vance Payne on vocals. In English, Yoruba and other Nigerian languages, the group knows how to shift between moods and reach a broad audience.

Afrodizz got started in 2002 at the initiative of jazz guitarist Gabriel Aldama, who also wrote the songs. While at university, he discovered Fela Kuti, the undisputed master of Afrobeat. This encounter produced the inspiration and finally the trigger for the group’s creation.

With its smart mix of rock, funk and hip-hop and an urban touch of jazz, the group made a noted appearance at the Montréal International Jazz Festival as “Revelation of the Year” in the Les tropiques series in 2003. The group later gave numerous shows in Québec and across Canada before setting off on European tours.

Its début album, Kif kif, released in 2004 on the DoRight label in North America, drew the attention of the British label FreeStyle, which distributed the album in Europe. Froots, its second album, released in 2006, achieved true international recognition. It won the Best Artist award in the cosmopolitan category at the Montréal International Music Initiative Awards. At the 2011 edition of the Montréal International Jazz Festival, Afrodizz launched its third opus, Sounds From Outer Space.

The stage is undeniably where this powerful dance-making machine has made its mark and stood out for many years. Regarded as one of Canada’s top Afrobeat groups, Afrodizz never misses an opportunity to get its audience dancing, with the growing enthusiasm it stirs in its many visits to performance venues. A regular at the Quai des Brumes, Afrodizz also left a mark during the 2019 Taverne Tour due to its charisma and the quality of its show. Its golden rule? A festive, hypnotic mood conducive to both dance and trance.