Kweku Aacht

Kweku Aacht
Other names	Awotwi
Occupation(s)	Singer-songwriter, composer, musician, dancer
Years active	1990s–present
Known for	Vocal partnerships with avant-garde electronic musicians; pioneering soundtracks and performances in dance theatre

Kweku Aacht, who performs under the name Awotwi, is a British-Ghanaian artist known for his roles as a singer-songwriter, composer, musician, and dancer. He has gained recognition through vocal partnerships with avant-garde electronic musicians and for developing pioneering soundtracks and performances in dance theatre.

Music and Performance Career

During the early 1990s, Aacht drew inspiration from the UK's underground club culture, open-air raves, and music festivals, absorbing a wide range of styles from artists including Prodigy, Darren Emerson, Björk, and Tricky.

His recording journey commenced in 1999 when he co-wrote and performed on two tracks for Zan Lyons' debut album Desolate, and contributed to Damian Lazarus' Mind Horizon Records compilation Different Noise. While attending London College of Fashion, Aacht moved to Hackney, a dynamic artistic district in London. There, he collaborated with Young British Artists (Y.B.As) on sound installations and gallery-based performances. In 2004, he partnered with electronic musician Leila Arab on a performance at the V&A museum, which was later featured on her album Blood Looms and Blooms.

A significant musculoskeletal injury in 2002 forced him to pause his dance career for more than three years. During this period, he concentrated on social development work, spearheading art-centered projects designed to empower youth and foster community change. His efforts included co-creating a national conflict resolution initiative for The Tutu Foundation UK.

In 2006, Aacht re-entered the music scene after engaging with the contemporary dance company C-12 Dance Theatre at Stratford Circus. He took on a sustained role as composer and musical director for cutting-edge dance theatre productions. By 2008, he resumed performing original choreography that integrated music production with dance, earning acclaim within the UK's hip-hop and contemporary dance communities. In 2013, he relocated to Ghana.

Kindred Tribe

In 2012, Aacht initiated his first music performance project since the mid-2000s by collaborating with African contemporary dance artist and Vocab Dance Company director Alesandra Seutin alongside dancer, actress, and singer Nandi Bhebhe. Together, they established the Kindred Tribe collective, merging their varied influences into a unique ensemble. They created original compositions and performed at Ghana's Asa Baako festival.

External links

Project	Client	Description	Date
Condition:Humanoid	Two Son's and a Ton of Man Theatre Company	Composed score	1999
Desolate	Zan Lyons/Foundry Records	Lyricist and vocalist on two album tracks	2000
A Different Noise	Mind Horizon Recordings	Featured track on compilation	2000
Visions and Aspirations Shoreditch Electricity Showrooms	Gloria Muikira	Sound installation accompanying photographic exhibition	2000
Spring Heeled Jack Sessions at the Strong Rooms	Spring Heeled Jack	Songwriting, composition, vocal sessions	2001
Playgroup	Output Records	Songwriting, composition, vocal sessions	2002
One Night Only Islington College	C-12 Dance Theatre	Remixes, narration, special effects for contemporary dance piece	2007
Resolution! The Place	C-12 Dance Theatre	Remix for contemporary dance production	2008
Two's a Company Stratford Circus	C-12 Dance Theatre	Remix for contemporary dance performance	2008
Fast 4wrd Hackney Museum	Deep:Black	Electronic sound installation for public exhibition	2008
Big Dance Holland Park and Potters Field Park	C-12 Dance Theatre	Two musical compositions for outdoor site-specific dance events	2008
Dance Umbrella Purcell Room	C-12 Dance Theatre	Remix for contemporary dance piece	2008
R3 City & Islington College	C-12 Dance Theatre	Musical composition for contemporary dance performance	2008
The Chair Edinburgh Festival	C-12 Dance Theatre	Mix for contemporary dance theatre score	2009
Skin Deep Space @ Clarence Mews	Lerato Lipere	Soundtrack composition for contemporary dance work	2009
Synthes:s London Week of Peace, Hackney Wick Festival	Deep:Black/Arcola Theatre	Operatic vocal recording	2009
The Last Supper Royal Opera House	Juwon Ogungbe/Larry Coke	Operatic vocal recordings including solos and chorus	2010
Synthes:s 2 Arcola Theatre	Deep:Black/Arcola Theatre	Electronic sound installation	2010
Live @ Audio Underground	Juwon Ogungbe Trio	Live session recording, engineering, mixing, mastering	2010
Temps Mort Cultural Explosion Rich Mix	Vocab Dance Company	Remix for contemporary dance production	2010
Word! Stratford Circus	Vocab Dance Company	Composition, sound editing, ensemble dancer role during national tour	2011
Loving You	New World Dance Company	Soundtrack creation for short film	2011
Voices in the Alleyway Cochrane Theatre London	Spread Expression Dance Company/Faith Drama Productions	Score for full-length hip-hop theatre production	2011
Unrecognisable Venus Hates Mars: Stratford Circus London	Vocab Dance Company/Natalie James: Broken Doll Dance Company	Soundtrack and score composition	2011
Loneliness Venus Hates Mars: Stratford Circus London	Odilia Egyiawan	Sound piece for contemporary dance performance	2011
Physionix Rich Mix London	Paradigmz	Score for contemporary dance theatre production	2012
The Van Man Albany Theatre London	C-12 Dance Theatre	Musical composition for outdoor site-specific dance piece	2012
Let's Dance: Big Dance Canary Wharf London	C-12 Dance Theatre	Soundtrack for large-scale outdoor participatory dance event	2012
Scorned	C-12 Dance Theatre	Compilation soundtrack editing for contemporary dance performance	2012
Kindred Tribe Asabaako Festival Busua Beach	Asabaako Festival	Music production, songwriting, choreography, vocals, live programming, community workshops with three-member ensemble	2012
Our Mighty Groove Version 1 Sadler's Wells London	Uchenna Dance Company	Composer of interactive dance theatre production set in New York house club (35 min)	2013
Our Mighty Groove Version 2 Stratford Theatre Royal London	Uchenna Dance Company	Composer for expanded interactive dance theatre work (50 min)	2015
Afro Dance Promo Video	Noir Dance Company	Composer of soundtrack for promotional video (3 min)	2016
Movement is Life	Awotwi Movement	Composer and choreographer for promotional dance video directed by Oskhari	2016
Head Wrap Diaries 2016	Uchenna Dance Company	Composer of full-length interactive dance theatre exploring African women's narratives	2016
Obatala	Kemi Durosinmi	Composer of soundtrack for Yoruba Orisha-inspired short dance film	2017
Giant	Alesandra Seutin	Composer of track and ambient soundscape for solo dance theatre piece in Belgium	2017
Your Love is Enough	John Thomas	Producer and songwriter creating two gospel tracks alongside artist John Thomas	2017
Free & Unashamed October	Ebein Studios/GH1 Ghana talk show theme song composer, engineer, mastering engineer	2017
Across the Souvenir	Alesandra Seutin	Composer of soundtrack for solo dance performance (30 min)	2017