AKATA KOLO ORCHESTRA (A.K.O.)

All from different backgrounds, but driven by the same passion: groove, celebration, rhythm. Akata Kolo Orchestra (often abbreviated to A.K.O.), formed in 2021, is the result of a meeting between nine musicians from the Conservatoire Départemental de Gennevilliers. From the outset, the group has had a clear ambition: to thrill audiences, combining the infectious energy of Afrobeat with a wealth of instruments and vocals that avoid clichés, surprise and make you want to dance. The collective stands out for its thunderous brass section, tireless rhythm section and lead vocals that are both charming and electrifying. All the voices, whose timbres overlap and respond to each other, sketch out subtle colours between funk, jazz, soul and African rhythms. Akata Kolo Orchestra is preparing its next chapter: a new album for 2026, which promises to further expand their universe, push the boundaries of constraints and freedoms, feature more arrangements, perhaps new collaborations and new tracks, but always with the same desire: for the music to live and for the audience to feel it. Attending an A.K.O concert is an immersive experience: joy, warmth, dance, communion. You feel the fusion, the technique, but above all the heart. In this sense, Akata Kolo Orchestra stands out as one of the revelations of the new Parisian Afrobeat generation — a collective that is both promising and already established.