This podcast looks into a polyrhythmic movement, which has taken place in the U.K over the last 30-40 years. Music, politics, immigration and societies hunger for something new brought about a cultural change. At the beginning of the 1900s Britain lay claim to a huge empire, this combined with changing world politics brought about waves of immigrants from across the world making London a truly cosmopolitan capital.

The program focuses on the popularisation of music from Africa and the Afro-Diaspora, and how our relationship to rhythm here in the U.K has been affected. I look at where and how it started, who were the main pioneers and what is its legacy. Although music from many countries played a significant role in making Britain polyrhythmic, I focus on the rise in popularity of Latin and African music from the late ’70s onwards.

The musical journey starts in 1934, with one of the first polyrhythmic groups that made an impact in the U.K, the Lecuona Cuban Boys who introduced exotic instruments and what became the Cuban clichéd look of ruffled sleeves and slick back hair. Their first concert was in 1934 and they were famous for introducing a new dance craze ‘the Conga’.

The program follows a timeline with music and interviews from some of the most influential players who contributed to this movement including; Roberto Pla, Snowboy, Bosco de Oliveira and Dele Sosimi.

The program concludes by looking at the legacy of what this movement has created. There are Samba schools in every other town, sometimes more than one. The fact is that although some may be of dubious quality people are coming together all over the country in large groups to play polyrhythmic music.