Saturday, January 17, 2026 at 8:00 PM
Lodge Room, Los Angeles
The Grammy-nominated afrobeat legends announce new album *Hourglass * Out October 24 on Daptone Records The first album single “La Ceiba” conjures the classic afrobeat sound Listen to “Le Ceiba” here On *Hourglass*, Antibalas returns to its instrumental roots. Previous albums featured topic songs addressing patriarchy, climate change, militarism, late stage capitalism, oligarchy, white ethnonationalism, and the genocide. HOURGLASS is an instrumental meditation of these themes, this time speaking through melody and rhythm. The story of the *Hourglass* begins in early 2020. Antibalas was just a month into a year-long world tour supporting their Grammy-nominated album *Fu-Chronicles* when the pandemic struck. After months of solitude, deaths and births and lots of uncertainty, the band reunited in Brooklyn in the fall of 2021 to regroup and workshop new compositions. Two weeks later, the band debuted the new compositions across the world at jazz, rock and music festivals in North America, Europe and North Africa. The following year, Antibalas gathered for two exhilarating days of recording with 8x Grammy-award winning engineer Joel Hamilton (Bomba Estereo) at Studio G in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, a few blocks north of the band’s birthplace. Captured live with a small army of musicians, the recordings featuring the eleven-piece touring ensemble consisting of Martín Perna (baritone saxophone, co-producer and founding member), Marcos García (guitar), Reinaldo DeJesus (congas), Timothy James (guitar), Justin Kimmel (bass), Marcus Farrar (shekere), Drew Vandewinckel (tenor, flute), Andrew McGovern (trumpet) Michael Pallas (trombone) along with performances and solos from emeritus members Stuart Bogie (tenor saxophone) and Jordan McLean (trumpet) and longtime collaborators Domenica Fossati (flute), Jackie Coleman (trumpet) and Lynn Ligammari (tenor saxophone). On *Hourglass*, Antibalas returns to its instrumental roots. Co-producer/founder Martín Perna explains, “Once a song has lyrics, everyone who doesn’t speak that language finds themselves on the outside. As humans sharing planet Earth, we are all confronting different versions of the same problems: climate change, bad governance, the violence of late-stage capitalism to name a few. We have already written songs about those [issues.](http://issues.we) We haven’t abandoned vocals but on Hourglass we use rhythm and melody exclusively to convey our emotions.” Antibalas’s strength has always been in numbers and the power of the collective. The new album draws on compositions written by several current and emeritus members of the group. “Hourglass,” the album’s title track, begins with a plaintive and ecstatic tenor saxophone solo before digging into an intense 12-8 groove. The group pivots with “Lo-Life” highlighting the group’s ability to swing a lá Machito or the 1970s Ghanaian dance band leaders like Gyedu Blay-Ambolley. Others like “Solace,” “Escape” and “La Ceiba,” conjure echoes of the classic Lagos afrobeat sound, albeit spoken with a Brooklyn accent. “Oasis,” the album’s finale, is a step into a psychedelic unknown future, with a deep sense of liberatory funk eternally at its core. “Of all the band’s achievements I’m proud to say this album is a highlight in our career. We recorded it in two days and it stands as a masterclass in world class level musicianship.” adds co-producer/guitarist Marcos García. The album will be released on vinyl, CD and all major streaming platforms. Antibalas will be touring in support of *Hourglass *starting in November. **More about the band:** In 1997, Brooklyn-based saxophonist [Martín Perna](http://martinperna.com) founded Antibalas, inspired by the politically conscious grooves and messages of the likes of Fela Anikulapo-Kuti and Eddie Palmieri. Since their first album in 1999, Antibalas has amassed a loyal global fan base and has made their music imprint on countless artists across genres. Numerous notable groups feature Antibalas alumni or current members: the band has lent its musicians to TV on the Radio, Clairo, El Michels Affair, Amy Winehouse, The Roots, The Black Keys, Santigold, Arcade Fire, Jovanotti and dozens of others. The band’s ensemble virtuosity is widely recognized both inside and outside the genre of afrobeat. They served as the house band for the Obie-winning Broadway musical “FELA!” and later as the Carnegie Hall house band for all-star musical tributes to Aretha Franklin (2017), David Byrne and Talking Heads (2015) and Paul Simon (2014) as well as the Music of Billie Holiday at the Apollo Theater (2017). For 27 years, Antibalas has shaped the sound of modern afrobeat music and funk music. With eight albums, numerous singles and two thousand performances on five continents, they remain one of the most vital and relevant musical ensembles in North America.