With Bobby’s Disco blasting Steve Monite’s Only You and DJs like Folamour and Hunee who famously mix Afro boogie, funk and beat into their sets, it’s quite clear the influence of West African music is strong in Leeds. Also, in the mainstream, artists like Beyoncé and French indie group Phoenix sample Afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti, while Rihanna and Michael Jackson repeat Manu Dibango’s famous “makossa” hook. To celebrate the immense cultural output this region gives us, writer Astrid Jung Laursen has put together a playlist of some of the essential bangers from the 1970s onwards.

1. Zombie by Fela Kuti

2. Expensive Shit by Fela Kuti

3. Madan Exotic Disco by Salif Keita

4. Bofou Safou by Amadou and Mariam

5. Ivory by Kio Amachree

6. Kudaushe by Afriquoi, Kudaushe Matimba

7. Hafi Deo by Tabu Ley Rochereau

8. Soul Makossa by Manu Dibango

9. Doni Doni by Baba Sissoko

10. Chega Mais (Imaginei Voce Dancado) 

by Banda Black Rio

11. A.E.I.O.U. by Di Melo

12. Dog Eat Dog by the Souljazz Orchestra

13. Only You by Steve Monite

14. Atomic Bomb by William Onyeabor

15. Disco Dancer by Kiki Gyan