The Black Belts

The Black Belts are a Spanish funk outfit that serves as the backing band for Burundian-born, London-based singer J.P. Bimeni. The band consists of six musicians from the Madrid music scene: Rodrigo Díaz on drums, Pablo Cano on bass, Fernando Vasco on guitar, Álex Lárraga on keys, Ricardo Martínez on trumpet, and Rafael Díaz on saxophone.

Formed in the studios of TucXone Records, The Black Belts collaborated with J.P. Bimeni to release their debut album "Free Me" in 2018, which was named BBC6 Music's "Album of the Year". Their sound is described as 'swamp soul', blending guitars, keyboards, brass, and Bimeni's soulful vocals to create a rhythm and blues-inspired dance music.