Soukustek was born under the gaze of the Caribbean Sea surrounding the coastal city of Cartagena de Indias in Colombia.

Seamlessly blending the rhythms and sounds of guitars that arrived in Colombia from Africa in the seventies with the flavours of the Colombian Caribbean, Soukustek is dance, joy, and history: it is Africa in Colombia. 

"Soukustek is a combination of the life experiences, dreams and joys that have fed off of our direct connection to Africa,” explains bandleader Tury Morey. "When we were kids, on weekends, we'd both fall asleep and awaken the next morning to the thunderous soukous rhythms and African guitar melodies blasted out by the powerful and brightly-painted sound systems called "picos" or “pickups”.  

The project began in 2010 when Cartagenero guitarist and producer Tury Morey and master guitarist, Claro Torres from Baru Island in Colombia, joined forces to form a band to recreate those Afro-Colombian sounds of the 70s and the picos that served as community radios disseminating the unique Colombian re-interpretation of Nigerian highlife, Congolese soukous, and afrobeat known as champeta.

Now based in Toronto, Soukustek is comprised of bassist Rogers Morales (Colombia), percussionist Pato Irie (Brazil),  drummer Juan Carlos Medrano (Colombia), vocalist Zamira Lacosta (Cuba),  and guitarist Jimmy Kiddo (Colombia) under the leadership of Tury Morey on vocals and guitar.  

Having performed at the Lulaworld festival, Beaches Jazz Festival, Markham Jazz Festival, Small World Festival, Mixto Festival and many local venues, Soukustek released their debut album, Asina Jue in 2019 and have a second recording planned for 2021.

Through a joyous celebration of their Afro-Colombian roots, Soukustek brings Pico culture alive on any stage.