During a stay in West Africa in the late 2000’s, Japanese musician Junichiro "John" Imaeda was taken
aback by the similarities he felt between the Afrobeat that resonated in the streets of Accra, and the
sounds of the "Ohayashi”, the music played during ancestral Japanese festivals, in which John had
participated since his childhood.

On his return to the archipelago in 2009, Imaeda created Ajate, a collective of ten passionate

musicians. Together they started crafting music that moves from one world to another, with
intertwined roots. The drums, flutes and bells are joined by curious instruments handmade by John
himself with the essential material of the Japanese countryside: bamboo. The “Jaate”, an amplified
xylophone-balafon equipped with piezoelectric sensors on each of its keys, or the “Piechiku”, a
bamboo version of the Malian “Ngoni” or the Gnawa “Guembri”, equipped with shamisen strings and
connected to an arsenal of guitar pedals, give Ajate an absolutely unique sound. Powerful and catchy
Japanese female and male vocals bring the final touch to an incredible groove where Afrobeat and
Ohayashi music are woven together so seamlessly that Ajate has managed to capture a truly distinct
fusion. The band sings about the power of human connections, the force of being and living all
together, the joy of sharing, and the beauty of life. Ajate’s music is a magnificent example of the way
sounds are able to migrate in contemporary music.

The band’s explosive live performances have taken Ajate to the most prestigious stages in Japan,
such as the Sukiyaki Meets The World and Fuji & Sun festivals. The release on French label 180g of
their “Abrada” and “Alo” albums, in 2017 and 2020 respectively, opened the doors to Europe, with
memorable shows at the Transmusicales de Rennes festival - followed by a session on KEXP (Seattle,
USA) - at Jazz a Vienne, and at WOMAD UK, among many others. With their brand new album “Dala
Toni”, Ajate prove once again that they are at the forefront of global music "made in Japan".

180g Music SAS
3 rue Marx Dormoy
Nantes, Pays de la Loire 44200
France

Contact: 180g.bandcamp.com