Edd Bateman's West African Love Affair

In 2001 a 14 year old heavy metal bassist growing up in Devon, UK was jamming away at home when there was a knock at the door. A Zimbabwean dance band had just arrived in the country, needed a bass player and signed Edd Bateman up for a variety of tours that lasted 6 years. Since then his recording and touring credits have seen him collaborating with artists from every corner of Africa. After a 2011 concert in Dakar, Senegalese superstar Cheikh Lo described Edd as “a criminal bass player with a perfect ear”.

The 2016 album Edd Bateman’s West African Love Affair features 15 musicians from 8 different West African countries. Each track Edd composed in the traditional genre of music native to the country of the artist he was dueting with making the album a unique insight into the current music of the continent.