Group
Afro Celt Sound System
- From
- United Kingdom
- Since
- 1995–present
- Releases
- 18
- afrobeat
- ambient
- celtic
- worldbeat
About
Afro Celt Sound System are a folk rock group who fuse electronic music with traditional Gaelic and West African music. The band was formed in 1995 by producer-guitarist Simon Emmerson and features a wide range of guest artists. In 2003, they temporarily changed their name to Afrocelts before reverting to their original name.
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Their albums have been released through Peter Gabriel's Real World Records, and they have frequently performed at WOMAD festivals worldwide. Their recording contract with Real World was for five albums, of which Volume 5: Anatomic was the last. After a number of festival dates in 2007, the band went on hiatus. In 2010, they regrouped to play a number of shows (including a return to WOMAD), and released a remastered retrospective titled Capture. In May 2014, Afro Celt Sound System announced the release of the album Born. In January 2016, a posting on their website revealed that due to a dispute with Emmerson, who announced his departure from the band in 2015, there were two active versions of the band, one led by Emmerson and another with a separate line-up headed by James McNally and Martin Russell. Emmerson's version of the band released the album The Source in 2016. The dispute ended in December 2016 with an announcement on social media. The band released their seventh studio album, Flight, in November 2018.
Members
Discography
Albums
EPs
Compilations
Links
Listen
Concerts
Founder
Also known as
Afro Celtic Soundsystem · Afro Celts · Afro-Celt Sound System · Afro-Celt Soundsystem · Afro-Celts Sound System · AfroCelt · AfroCelts · The Afro Celt Sound System · The Afro-Celt Sound System
Tags
- world
- acid croft
- celtic fusion
- ethnic electronica
- fusion
Identifiers
- MusicBrainz
- 2f0baf2a-bfa7-4116-8c75-8240aed74553
- ISNI
- 000000012180388X
Data from MusicBrainz, saved 10 Nov 2026. Photo from Wikimedia Commons, covers from the Cover Art Archive and Apple Music.