Bands like The Compozers are a dime a dozen. For every one that’s been able to finagle their way into longevity, there’s way more that have fizzled in their nascent period. In fact, the one thing which seems to be common among bands is their inability to stand the test of time.

However, offering their own inspirational counter narrative, The Compozers are standing passing that temporal test on their own terms, cementing their status as the premier backing band in Black British music (and, by extension, Afropop) and charting their way forward as artists in their own right.

 

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Referring to themselves as pioneers for many reasons, Stephen, the group’s drummer shared with me over a Zoom call a couple of days before their live show with Tiwa Savage: “I’ll definitely say that I believe that we’re pioneers because we didn’t have any examples of what we’re doing before we started and now that we started it, other people have seen what we’re doing and they’re replicating it in the different parts of the world and we’re happy to see that what we’re doing it in the intention to inspire others. So I’ll say yes and I believe that we’re pioneers.”

Drawing influences from some of the most credible bands in the world from the iconic Beatles to premier Hip-Hop band and production outfit, 1500 or Nothing, The Compozers are a British-Ghanaian group of four instrumentalists made up of Stephen Asamoah-Duah (drums), Nana Ntorinkansah (bass guitar),  David Ohene-Akrasi (keytar) and Charlie Mensah-Bonsu (keyboard), who kicked off their musical journey nearly a decade ago and have maintained a steady momentum in the past years.

Growing up Ghanaian and all coming from christian backgrounds, The Compozers are deeply invested in their christian roots and as much as possible try to inculcate this into the music they create. “Being Ghanaian, like going to Ghanaian church, growing up with Ghanaian music as well, like the way the music is, we implement it a lot in what we do as well, like how we approach it and stuff,” Stephen shares. “Also it’s very important to get a lot of support from the Ghanaians as well so it plays a very big part. We wouldn’t be here if God hadn’t given us these talents you know, we always have to give back.”

The Compozers can be described as the dictators of the sound. They decide what the music is supposed to sound like. Being a part of the industry for close to a decade, they’ve been able to key into the Afropop and Caribbean pop, finding a juicy mid-point that’s evident on feel-good records such as “Feel Right” and “Born You Well.” As of today, they’ve worked with some of the biggest names across the world, cutting across artists in different genres, from Davido, to Rax, to Koffee. This goes to show that The Compozers are a formidable band, experimenting with different musical genres and representing the Black-British community.

“We’ve been able to pick from so many different cultures meaning that we’ve been able to delve into different genres,” David, the Keytarist shared with me, with regards to what their music represents in the Black-British community. When I ask the guys what 10 years as a band means to them, they all shared with me their different perspectives on this. David responds:

“I feel like we just want to live, especially this 10 year journey, we just want to live that positive message and resonate in that and that whatever you want to do in this life, you can achieve.”

Ten years together as a Black musical band is something that’s rarely seen and The Compozers have a familial bond to than for that. “Being brothers is what allowed some challenges not to break this thing that we have,” Nana says. “Being in a collective is one thing, and being able to maintain a working relationship and a brotherhood as a collective is an entirely different ball game.” The Compozers are playing the long game as a collective and we have no choice as fans but to watch. As Nana declares, “what 10 years means to me, it means legacy and that we’re also just getting started.”

“10 years has been a long time and also not a long time when you really think about it,” Stephen adds. “I’m so grateful because this is something that we started so innocently and we had no clue on what it’s gonna be and it has blossomed to what it is today and it’s actually a worldwide thing and I can confidently say that if you go to every corner of this world and mention the Compozers at least 1 person would know who the Compozers are and I think that that’s an amazing achievement for us.”

 

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For an instrumental band to come this far, I believe it’s something to take pride in. Maybe not to some degree as record producers, but instrumental bands have some level of control on the sound of Afropop and Black diaspora music, giving audiences memorable experiences to hold on to while playing and reinterpreting songs at a live show.

Beyond their live performance exploits, The Compozers are beefing up their resume. Last year, they released their debut album, ‘The Experience’, and for most, this was the first time hearing music curated by and centred on the band. In conversation about their next project and what’s yet to come, Charlie Biggz, the band’s keyboardist shared: “We’ve been in the studio with a lot of artists, mainly from Africa, and we’re still deciding on the genre of what the EP is gonna be but it’s definitely gonna be Afrobeats and we’re definitely working on it so watch out for it.”

Even though a lot of their work revolves around backing the most popular artists from Africa and across the diaspora, The Compozers are controlling their own narrative, in  terms of how they need their music to sound. It’s the sign of the collective greatness, a talent-fuelled group whose wholesome impact continues to be more than the sum of its parts.

Stream ‘The Experience’ below.

Featured image credits/NATIVE

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