Africa Oyé announces eclectic lineup of DJ's for this year's festival

Africa Oyé will platform some of the region’s best emerging DJ talent, alongside some familiar faces and a handful of guests from a little further afield, at the festival this June.

Two of the UK’s biggest names in African, Caribbean and Afrocentric sounds will play between the live acts on Oyé’s Main Stage this year, whilst the two dedicated DJ stages – Trenchtown and Freetown – will feature an eclectic ensemble of DJs, selectors and collectives, all providing the perfect backdrop to the weekend in Sefton Park.

The Oyé Stage

This year, Seani B marks his Africa Oyé debut. Born in London, Seani has taken the cosmopolitan surroundings he grew up in, and incorporated them into his unique musical blend. From Dancehall to Hip Hop, R&B to House and even Soca to Rock; if it is musical, Seani will be all over it.

One of the world’s leading dancehall and reggae DJs, Seani’s weekly BBC 1Xtra show is the most listened to specialist programme on the network, as well as having amassed over 90 million views for his sessions from Jamaica. In 2021 he was awarded the prestigious Broadcasters Press Guild Award for ‘Best Broadcaster Of The Year’ across all radio programmes in the UK.

However, it was for his work as a producer that Seani received the ultimate accolade; he won a Grammy for producing tracks on the Morgan Heritage album ‘Strictly Roots’.

Oyé are also delighted to be welcoming back DJ Edu. Born and raised in Nairobi, Kenya, Edu began his career as one of the premier Homeboyz DJ crew, a resident at Carnivore, and as a presenter on Capital FM. Having been voted the Best Kenyan DJ in the UK in 2004, he started to see his life-long ambition materialise; putting the latest and greatest sounds produced by Africa’s new generation on the global map.

Through his BBC Radio1 and 1Xtra platforms, Edu has been able to break some of the biggest names on the global African music scene in the UK, including artists such as K’Naan, Nneka, Akon, and many more.

The Trenchtown Stage

Trenchtown was the festival’s first dedicated DJ space, established in 2012. It has played host to many of the city’s Dub and Reggae-inspired DJs, as well as showcasing some of the more upfront African sounds, including Amapiano, Kwaito, Gqom and Afro House. Trenchtown also features the original Oyé Inn with a comfortable seating area ideal for chilling out, and plenty of space for dancing the weekend away!

This year at Trenchtown, along with a selection of returning Oyé favourites, the festival will welcome some exciting new names, including DJ NS, Lady Spice and DANYKAS DJ. Following their storming set at Oyé ’23, G33 & Hannah Lynch (Girls Don’t Sync) are back to headline Trenchtown on the Saturday evening!

This is followed by a Reggae and Bass-heavy line up on Sunday, including sets by Dub Defenders, In Fine Style and Jamie Ape, to warm everyone up for Julian Marley’s headline set.

The Freetown Stage

Celebrating it’s sixth year at Oyé, Freetown will offer a diverse programme throughout the weekend, providing the finest in Afrobreat, Afro Disco, Latin and Jazz, as well as Funk, Soul, Hip Hop and Disco.
With seating providing the ideal chill-out zone, and a dancefloor for those that feel like moving, be sure to come along to sit back and relax – or to get up and dance!

2024 will see Freetown debuts from Colin Williams, Amber Rose and more. The festival are also happy to be welcoming back the likes of Eve’s Drop, Dharma Collective, and Lyrical Compact to the Freetown stage.