Putting their original Brooklynized stamp on the classic afrobeat style, Underground System Afrobeat is a huge band with a huge sound. 4 horns and 7 rhythm players armed and ready to whip any space into a massive dance party. The ensemble was formed in early 2010 as the brainchild of guitarist Peter Matson, who fell in love with the music and story of Fela Anikulapo-Kuti while playing in a group directed by members of the seminal Afrobeat group Antibalas. Domenica Fossati (flute, vocals, percussion), the group's Venezuelan born Miami raised frontwoman, brings no shortage of fiery energy and an amazing lead voice as the center of the band(USA is one of the only afrobeat bands around to exclusively feature a female frontperson). Trilingual on top of a strong familiarity with Yoruba and Nigerian tongues, she composes original afrobeat lyrics drawing from a pool of three or four different languages at a time. Her classical training on flute and studies of African Dance (including travels to Ghana) adds another layer of depth and diverse influence to each performance. Aside from the strong female stage presence (the group also features a predominately female horn section and rotates many other great musicians on a regular basis), the rest of Underground System is also set apart from other afrobeat bands in the way they draw from their musicians own authentic influences. Warping their own musical and cultural backgrounds, anything from traditional afro cuban elements to more progressive dub, house, jazz, funk, and new music, through the context of afrobeat, the occasional and always developing musical (and lyrical) twists that result are something to keep a more contemporary minded audience relating to what is at the core a truly eclectic group of musicians. Members of Underground System Afrobeat can also be found sharing the stage and/or recording with heavyweight groups such as- Seun Kuti, Dub is a Weapon, Antibalas, FELA! musical, Miguel Zenon, Kenny Werner, Pimps of Joytime, Snarky Puppy, Turkuaz, Akoya Afrobeat Ensemble, Amayo's Fu-Arkist-Ra, and more.