Ibeyi – A Fresh take on Afro-Cuban Yoruba Fusion

French-Cuban duo Ibeyi wowed the sold out crowd at S.F.’s The Independent on Thursday evening.  The twin daughters of the late conga legend Miguel “Anga” Diaz seduced the crowd with their dynamic fusion of yoruban chants, soulful vocals, electronica, beats and hip-hop.  Ibeyi is the charismatic duo of Lisa-Kainde Diaz on lead vocals, electric piano, keyboards, samplers, percussion and Naomi Diaz on lead vocals, percussion, cajon, bata, beatbox and samplers.   They performed without a back up band.   The duo played a huge chunk of their latest recording “Ibeyi” on XL.  The crowd cheered on their original tunes that are a sonic evolution of the traditional santeria drums and chants augmented by modern electronics, samples and studio produced beats.  Blessed with angelic voices singing in French, Yoruba and Spanish that blended beautifully over sparse arrangements, the magnetic duo took turns singing lead that had the adoring crowd screaming for more.  Ibeyi has evolved this religious art form by making the Yoruban chants accessible to a secular public through their unique music. They have also seen their popularity soar as indie darlings in the process as evidenced by their performances at the recent South By Southwest Music Festival and this stunning SF Bay Area performance. They represent the new wave of Afro-Cuban expression in 2015.