Decentralising Afrobeat: KINGDRUMZ is shaping Cultural Programming Beyond the UK’s Major Music Hubs

By Emmanuel Daraloye

Cultural curators are often the invisible architects of music scenes that audiences take for granted. They book artists, negotiate venues, shape atmosphere and, in many cases, build audiences from the ground up. In cities outside London, where industry infrastructure is thinner and diaspora networks are less concentrated, their role becomes even more pronounced. They are not merely promoters; they are ecosystem builders.

For Nigerian-born cultural curator Oluwadimimu Kolade, known professionally in Scotland as KINGDRUMZ, that responsibility defines his work. As Afrobeats continues its global rise, much of the UK conversation remains centred on London as the genre’s most visible stage. KINGDRUMZ operates deliberately outside that gravitational pull, developing platforms in Scottish cities where African live music has not always had a consistent presence. His work reflects a broader shift across regional Britain, where independent curators are embedding Afrobeat into local cultural life and testing how far the genre can travel beyond its assumed centres of power.
Decentralisation in this context is not simply about geography. It is about redistributing cultural momentum, moving opportunity, visibility and audience ownership away from a single metropolitan centre and into cities that have historically sat outside the dominant music conversation.

In regional environments, success cannot be based on speculation. Without the infrastructure available in the capital, introducing Afrobeat requires careful framing. It must be presented not as a novelty or club sound, but as a broad, evolving genre with artistic depth. In this setting, the curator becomes mediator, programme director and storyteller, responsible not only for line-ups but for how events are understood.

Oluwadimimu Kolade’s work via KINGDRUMZ reflects this evolving responsibility. His events are structured as themed experiences rather than straightforward club nights. Line-ups are designed to showcase Afro-fusion’s range, placing internationally recognised performers alongside emerging talent and established DJs. The intention is clear: to present Afrobeat as layered and expansive, not as a single commercial wave.

Recent editions of the XCAPE live music experience in Dundee offer a case study. When international DJ and performer MS DSF headlined one edition, the event sold out, signalling that large-scale Afrobeat programming in regional Scotland is viable. Attendance figures tell only part of the story. The energy in the room, the mix of accents in the crowd, and the visible pride among attendees pointed to something deeper. These events operate as shared cultural spaces where diaspora identity and contemporary African sound meet face to face. The more pressing question is whether that momentum can be sustained consistently rather than episodically.

Across Scotland, performances by artists such as Slimcase, Johnny Drille, Magnito and DJ Enimoney have drawn notable audiences. These concerts are gradually forming a regional touring pattern, connecting artists with communities that might otherwise engage with their music only through streaming platforms. At the same time, this growth exposes structural realities: regional programming rarely benefits from the sponsorship networks, media amplification or financial support available in London.

This burden often falls on independent curators like Oluwadimimu Kolade and his brand KINGDRUMZ who carries both creative vision and financial risk. Venue costs, artist fees, marketing and audience development must be managed simultaneously. The work is as entrepreneurial as it is cultural. Balancing authenticity with commercial viability becomes a constant negotiation. In that sense, the expansion of Afrobeat beyond the capital is shaped as much by precarity as by progress.

Working as both a cultural curator and event producer is demanding. Every event is not only a performance but an investment in long-term audience trust. Building a scene requires consistency, credibility and community buy-in.
As Afrobeats become more visible across regional cities in Britain, local venues are gradually integrating African music into their regular programming. Audiences are forming habits around live engagement rather than relying solely on digital access. Yet a broader question remains unresolved: can regional growth permanently shift the UK’s cultural hierarchy, or will London continue to function as the primary gatekeeper of legitimacy?

Afrobeats’ expansion in Britain is therefore not only a story of global success; it is also a story of local effort. Independent curators are building platforms city by city, testing the limits of decentralisation in real time. Whether this movement becomes a structural change or remains dependent on individual initiative will shape the next chapter of the UK’s live African music scene.

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