“Obrumankuma” arrives from Danish collective Total Hip Replacement and their Ghanaian partners Anyankofo, featuring multi-instrumentalist and producer Kwame Yeboah alongside vocalist Nsoroma. The song draws on a Fante folk tale recounting the migration from Ghana’s north to the Central Region: a story of endurance, leadership, and trust in collective strength. Its message, questioning power and affirming shared responsibility, lands squarely in the present as well as the past.
The song narrates the journey of the Fante people from the north to the Central Region of Ghana, where challenges were met through leadership rooted in trust. Its moral turns directly to the present, reminding that strength lies not in force but in choices grounded in responsibility.
Musically, the track joins highlife’s bright guitar lines with reggae’s rhythmic sway, while brass, synths, and percussion create an ensemble sound at once grounded and expansive. Yeboah’s hallmark production style is evident in the clarity of the instrumental dialogue, and Nsoroma’s vocals carry the narrative with a tone that is both personal and communal.
Based in Aarhus, Denmark, Total Hip Replacement formed as a seven-piece band known for mixing brass, grooves, and electronic detail into a live format that has carried them through extensive European touring. Their Ghana collaborations began in 2021, growing into a regular exchange of recordings and performances.
September brings them to the UK with a run of shows:
10 September – The Parish, Huddersfield
11 September – The Cluny, Newcastle
12 September – Bossaphonik, Oxford
13 September – The Jam Jar, Bristol
14 September – REinState at The Tate Institute, London