Afro Celt Sound System

Afro Celt Sound System

Afro Celt Sound System is a UK-based group formed in 1995 by producer and guitarist Simon Emmerson. Its music combines Celtic and African influences with modern dance styles including trip-hop and techno, and it is also associated with afrobeat, ambient and worldbeat.

The group is often described as a world music supergroup and frequently works with a broad range of guest artists on its recordings. Its albums are issued through Peter Gabriel’s Real World Records, and the band is said to be the label’s best-selling act after Gabriel himself.

Afro Celt Sound System’s live shows are closely linked with WOMAD festival appearances, where performances often become major features of the events. The group signs a contract with Real World requiring five albums, and the fifth studio album, Anatomic, appears as the last in that sequence. A compilation titled Pod gathers new mixes of songs from the first four albums.

The group also uses the shortened name Afrocelts on some releases, although the longer name remains the one it is best known by. Its line-up includes Ronan Browne, Simon Emmerson, Johnny Kalsi, N'Faly Kouyaté, Emer Mayock, James McNally, Iarla Ó Lionáird, Martin Russell and Moussa Sissokho.