RealPayBack
Robert Bannerman and Roy Aouad are Funkmata. The two musicians bring more than 20 years of showbiz experience in many locations, ranging from Accra to London, New York, Paris and Geneva. Their unique sound reflects a cosmopolitan style that is enjoyed by all cultures and age groups.
Based in Accra, Funkmata takes music produced in Africa to a global audience. This new genre of artists feels that Africa can make its name on the international market with popular music.
Their music has many flavours to it and is essentially therapeutic in these troubled times. This blend of cultures is influenced by the Gap Band, Jimi Hendrix, Herbie Hancock, Earth Wind and Fire, Edgar Winter, Rolling Stones and James Brown. Their aim is to set an example for other African musicians to follow in Funkmata's footsteps and make a name for themselves on the world stage.
Funkmata sets a high bar for up and coming African musicians. A finalist in the Jazz category for the 2007 Song of the Year, their signature track Realpayback has been featured on 40 affiliates of the the ABC radio network, and on Sky TV in Britain and the Netherlands. Another track by Funkmata, Is it True? was chosen for Artist of the Month by Song of the Year, while the song Still Alive placed well on ABC radio's Top 40 charts.
Realpayback has also placed top of the audiocandy.com Jazz charts, as well as on ourstage.com, audiocandy.com, and songvault.fm. It reached the finals of the Effigy Award (effigyaward.com) Jazz category in 2008 and 2009. Unisong.com, a songwriting competition judged by songwriters based in California, voted the song Real Payback in it's Top 20 list of finalists for instrumental songs, while Logginspromotion.com awarded its highest rating to the song.
Sample tracks, lyrics, video performances, and links to all of the albums and recordings by Robert Bannerman and Funkmata are available on the artist's official web site and on the official Funkmata page on Reverbnation.
