The Afro Electric Mash-Up: Jackson Wahengo & Alain Apaloo/Unite
On a golden summer afternoon, Nova Concerts transformed the courtyard of Huset i Magstræde into a meeting ground for two African traditions. Jackson Wahengo and Alan Apaloo (from Namibia and Togo, respectively) joined forces in the Afro Electric Mash-Up—a performance that speaks to heritage through innovation, as the electric guitar became a cross-cultural container of dialogue, rhythm, and light. All photos thanks to @PhotosbyRudeboi, all info at www.rjfrank.com
Afro Electric Mash-Up: Where Heritage Meets Innovation
It was a warm summer afternoon in Copenhagen, the kind that slows time down and makes sound travel softer through the air. In the courtyard of Huset i Magstræde, under open skies, Nova Concerts hosted a moment I’ll remember — a showcase that felt intimate, alive, and deeply human.
Two extraordinary musicians, Jackson Wahengo from Namibia and Alan Apaloo from Togo, met on stage not just to perform, but to exchange stories through the electric guitar. That’s what we called it — Afro Electric Mash-Up — but what happened went beyond any label.
A Dialogue Between Two Traditions
This concert was not an improvised jam. It was a rehearsed and carefully crafted dialogue, where each artist reinterpreted the other’s compositions. A genuine exchange between West and Southern Africa, between rhythm and melody, between what’s inherited and what’s invented.
You could feel that energy: heritage meets innovation — tradition electrified. Jackson’s earthy grooves met Alan’s fluid phrasing. The contrast became a pulse, something organic, sincere, and full of light.
The Visual Story
The images tell the truth — nothing staged, nothing forced. Just two musicians, fully present.
Jackson’s focus is grounded, anchored in groove. Alan moves with a quiet fire, his guitar almost an extension of breath. Between them: silence, tension, laughter — the unspoken rhythm of trust.
The afternoon light was golden and unpredictable. It caught reflections on the guitars, bounced off skin, and painted faces half in glow and half in shadow. You could see the music, not just hear it — in the way their bodies leaned into the sound, in how the audience leaned back, then forward again, drawn into that invisible current.
There’s no distance in these photos. No hierarchy between stage and crowd. Just a circle of energy, shared. That’s what I love about these moments — when music stops performing and starts belonging.
A Nova Concerts Moment
What we aim for at Nova Concerts is exactly this: connection through sound.
To create spaces where artists from different corners of the world meet and build something new together. That afternoon, Jackson Wahengo and Alan Apaloo didn’t just play — they built a bridge made of tone, rhythm, and respect.
The result was a living example of what happens when artists dare to blend heritage with innovation — when the past plugs into the present and hums with possibility.
Copenhagen Heard It First
The courtyard was full, and the energy was gentle yet charged. Strangers became an audience, and the music became a shared language.
It was a Nova showcase — free, open, electric — and a glimpse into something larger: the sound of Africa in dialogue with itself, in the heart of Copenhagen.
Cultural roots and modern expression don’t compete — they complete each other.