Warsaw Afrobeat Orchestra

Over the last seven years, Poland's Warsaw Afrobeat Orchestra has crafted a style of afrobeat all their own. The frontline vocal trio of Anna Piotrowska, Agata Dąbrowska, and Magdalena Kuś creates a timbre that’s unmistakably Warsaw Afrobeat. Forceful yet beautiful vocals contrast melodic horn lines over afro rhythms to recontextualize the traditions of Fela Kuti and Tony Allen, forging a sound that Dąbrowska describes as “firmly rooted in afrobeat on the one hand" yet WAO has been involved a "constant process of development exploring new sounds and techniques. That is why I decided to smuggle my personal more pop vision into afrobeat without disturbing the character of WAO music."

The album Antibody was released October 15, 2020 by American label Peace & Rhythm in digital format, and in Poland on green vinyl by Scriptology – an independent record label, with distro in the EU by Side One Records.

According to Dąbrowska, “the new material is largely a continuation of WAO’s initial path, which follows the combination of diverse European music elements on the ground of afrobeat. Eclecticism, combining various styles and genres make up the music of WAO. She goes on to say: "The new value is a more liberal approach to arrangements and compositions accompanied by a lot of focus on naturalness of the sound and avoiding overproduction during recordings.”


This fusion of styles and organic approach to recording renders Antibody an album full of surprising turns as well as welcome pleasures for those familiar with their previous releases. 

WAO is:

Anna Piotrowska - vocal

Agata Dąbrowska - vocal

Magdalena Kuś - vocal

Jan Jędrzejczyk - piano

Wojciech Trusewicz - guitar

Rafał Gańko - trumpet

Adam Kłosiński - trombone

Karol Gołowacz - saxophone

Janusz Sobolewski - bass guitar

Igor Chołda - percussion

Eddy - drums