Five years after their acclaimed debut album Alewa introduced the eight-piece Santrofi band to the world, the group has returned with their latest album, Making Moves, released on Friday, February 14.
Recorded and mixed by four-time Grammy Award-winning producer Jerry Boys, Making Moves celebrates both Santrofi’s Highlife roots and its evolving future. The album stays true to raw Highlife rhythms while incorporating elements of funk-driven dancefloor hits and soulful reflections on life.
The tracklist includes the title song Making Moves featuring AratheJay and Kofi Jamar, alongside Amina, Su Nkwa, Domebi, Gyae Me How, SanSu, No Money, No Honey, and Woara Wosempa.
All songs were recorded and mixed by Jerry Boys, except Making Moves and Woara Wosempa, which were mixed in Tema by Martin Mawutor at Sweetcola Recording Studios. Emmanuel Kwadwo Ofori, Santrofi’s lead member, wrote all the songs.
Santrofi, a collective of exceptionally talented young musicians, has been at the forefront of a new wave of vintage-inspired Highlife, Highlife-Funk, and contemporary Afrobeats.
According to Ofori, the band’s mission is to honor classic Highlife in all its variations, blending Afro-Cuban influences, Calypso, funky soul, and Nigerian Juju grooves, all brought to life through rippling guitar lines, tight brass sections, driving percussion, and rich harmonies.
Since 2019, Santrofi has performed at over 80 shows, gracing some of Europe’s most prestigious festivals, including the Paléo Festival Nyon in Switzerland, Festival Rio Loco in France, and Hiesige & Dosige Festival in Austria. They have shared stages with global icons like Erykah Badu, Ziggy Marley, Cardi B, Chance the Rapper, Justin Bieber, Macy Gray, and Earth, Wind & Fire.
The band’s members have played alongside numerous legendary Ghanaian artists, including Ebo Taylor, Pat Thomas, Gyedu-Blay Ambolley, AK Yeboah, and the late Highlife pioneer AB Crentsil, with whom they recorded before his passing.
Santrofi has also collaborated with some of Ghana’s rising stars, jamming and recording with artists such as KiDi, Yaw Tog, AratheJay, and Black Sherif.