Cymande Tickets

Cymande are a group of black British musicians who all came to the UK from the Caribbean as children. They released three albums in quick succession in the early 70s and were embraced in the USA, but in the UK, they faced a music business beset by prejudice against home grown black talent and were largely ignored. The group originally split in 1975, but their music lived on, as successive generations of artists and fans found and embraced their songs. Hip hop, house, drum and bass, R&B, rare groove and crate digging communities all saw something in the songs of Cymande that inspired them.

There have been dozens of samples taken from their albums over the last five decades, from DJs like DJ Kool Herc and Grandmaster Flash, to De La Soul, The Wu-Tang Clan, Gang Starr, The Coup, Sugar Hill Gang, Norman Cook/Fatboy Slim and The Fugees. They remain one of the most sampled bands in the history of hip hop, dance and house.

In 2023, Getting It Back: The Story Of Cymande was announced to be heading to cinemas across the world. The documentary promised interviews with Mark Ronson, Laura Lee and Mark Speer (Khruangbin), DJ Maseo (De La Soul), Jazzie B (Soul II Soul), Cut Chemist, Jim James (My Morning Jacket), Louie Vega, Kool DJ Red Alert, and so many others. Directed by Tim Mackenzie-Smith, the film was picked up by BFI Distribution for release in the cinemas beginning February 2024 in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Alongside the documentary, Cymande announced their intention of touring in support of the film during 2024. They announced a brand new album, Renascence, for 2025, along with a tour in support of the record.