"I wanted to open up people's minds and make them see that these sounds - Hiplife, semi-rap, West African tape culture - are still possible. They can still be heard, still be performed and still be connected here with us."

What happens when you put a legendary Ghanaian dance-rap icon and a fearless global selector together? Esa certainly found out when, together with the man behind Awesome Tapes of Africa, he convinced the purposely perplexing Ata Kak to go on tour with him after a 25-year hiatus. And so, in his bid to unearth the crossover musical enigma that is Burger-Highlife - made famous by Ata Kak and friends in 1980s Germany - as well as build his own bridges between his African roots and Western home, Esa put together an equally hard-to-define band. Across three years of touring, their dexterous fusion of highlife, Twi-language rap, funk, hip-hop and electronica earned them their place on some iconic stages including a packed-out show at Glastonbury’s West Holts Stage in 2017.